And No Birds Sing
by baby.turtle.cute
Summary: After contracting a horrible illness, Sarah must go Underground. She finds that the Goblin King is still in love with her, but that's not the only problem. The High General hates her; it seems that someone is orchestrating a coup. When this comes to his attention, Jareth can only focus on Sarah, but that doesn't help the High General fight the war any better.
1. Goblin Market

And No Bird Sings 1

Chapter 1 Goblin Market

Looking at the clock, Sarah decided it was late enough to call Karen. She heaved herself to her feet and got her cell phone. Sarah pushed the speed dial for home. Sarah looked at Karen as more of a mother figure. Finally, Karen answered the phone. "Hello," she said.

"Hey, Karen, how are you?"

"Oh, Sarah!" Karen exclaimed. "I'm so glad you called. I was wondering if you were going to call today."

Sarah laughed to herself. "Yeah, well, why would I miss a chance to call home?" In the background, Sarah heard Toby yelling.

"Hang on a minute, Toby. Mommy's on the phone with Sarah. You can talk to her in a minute."

"How's he doing?" Sarah asked.

"Toby's good. He's gotten so big. He was rotten yesterday at Aunt Mildred's. Got into everything." Sarah laughed.

"He's a born troublemaker."

"Don't we just know it? No, Toby, don't throw your Cheerios." Karen gave a frustrated sigh. "Anyway, how are you doing Sarah?"

"I'm ok."

"Just ok? Sick of parties and stars yet?"

"I would be if I ever saw any. Linda's been too busy."

"Well, you just tell me if you want to come home. I'll have your dad change the date immediately."

"Yeah, I know you've told me that since I came out here. Is Toby really that much of a brat?" Sarah asked, laughing. Karen launched into an explanation. Toby somehow got the phone from his mother and started talking to Sarah in his three-year-old baby talk. Now, though sometimes he got on her nerves, Sarah did not resent Toby. She loved him and doted on him more than ever. She listened patiently, but only got half of what he was saying. Then as suddenly as Toby came on the phone he went off.

"I'm sorry Sarah." Karen laughed. "He decided that he wanted to talk to you and you know Toby once he gets something in his head."

Sarah laughed. "Yeah I know. He's—tenacious." Sarah's stomach rumbled interrupting their conversation. She sighed and listened to Karen absently, as she rummaged through the kitchen for food. There wasn't any, or at least anything that interested Sarah. She could only have left over pizza or Chinese so many times before she was sick of it.

"Hey, Karen, I'm gonna let you go. I'm hungry and there's nothing I want to eat."

"Doesn't Linda cook for you?"

"No, and I'm not sure that I want to find out what her cooking is like. She's not the homemaker type." Sarah replied. She went to the entry way table where she knew the standard note from Linda was. There was always a twenty with the note. Sarah grabbed it.

"Well, when you come home, I'll make your favorite meal." Karen replied.

Sarah smirked to herself. "Thanks, Karen. What time should I call tonight? I wanna talk to Dad?"

"Oh, your D-A-D will be home around eight, our time." Karen replied. "Sorry, for spelling it out, Toby hears that word and cries for hours for him."

Sarah laughed. "Yeah, all right I'll call then. Talk to you later. Love you guys."

"Love you too. Have a good day." They hung up the phone. She could hear her yelling at Toby to get the dog off the tab Sarah did wish she could be there. Her mother had cowed into coming. Of course, Sarah was desirous to prove her independence to her family.

However, just like her dreams, this trip was like a bubble—insubstantial. She sighed again. It seemed that every time her mother made promises. They were insipid—flimsy, like the little flickers of fame and youth that Linda clung to so dearly. Every year her boyfriends got younger and her dresses got shorter. Pretty soon, Linda would be wearing nothing and dating Sarah's boyfriends.

"Not that I have one." She muttered. Being the weird girl in junior high hadn't helped Sarah progress with boys at all in high school. She didn't really care. She was more mature than most of the boys anyway.

Sighing, Sarah went to the refrigerator to scour the leftovers. There wasn't anything that she particularly cared for. She wrinkled her nose, and grabbed the twenty-dollar bills from the counters and started towards the beach.

When she opened the door, a neon green flyer fluttered to her feet. She picked it up and read it.

"Cabalus Market:

Our grapes fresh from the vine, Pomegranates full and fine, Rare pears and greengages, Damsons and bilberries, Taste them and try: Currants and gooseberries, Bright-fire-like barberries, Figs to fill your mouth, Citrons from the South, Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;

**Come buy! Come buy!"**

Sarah laughed at the flyer. "Cute," she mumbled. "Maybe I'll stop by if I get bored." Sarah got on her swimsuit and grabbed her beach gear. She started for the beach.

Sarah found a spot and laid her things out. She slipped off her jean shorts. After applying a generous layer of sunscreen, Sarah settled down on her towel. She relaxed and reached her hand slowly into her bag for the novel she was reading. Her hand found a book, but it didn't feel right. Furrowing her brow, Sarah pulled the book. The red leather bound volume came into view. Sarah screamed and chucked the book as hard as she could.

When she realized how ridiculous she seemed, her face flushed red. "Stupid spiders." She muttered trying to explain. After she regained her senses, Sarah snatched the book up. She tried to calm her beating heart, and shaking hands.

Feeling a little silly, she shoved the book roughly back into her bag. "You still have no power over me, Goblin King." She muttered. She knew it was him. He was trying to scare her. She wrinkled her nose. She was getting too grounded for him probably. Somewhere deep within herself, Sarah felt that the Labyrinth was just a jumbled up dream. Yet, she was so attached to all the people she'd met and she'd never been able to eat peaches again. Forgetting the Labyrinth, Sarah lay down on the beach and soaked up the happiness of the sun—no oubliettes here.

A loud rumbling in her stomach woke Sarah from her light doze. She sat up and looked at her phone to check the time. It was already three pm. "Man," she said getting up from her stomach. "I can't believe I fell asleep." She pulled her shorts on and gathered up her towel. Her stomach rumbled loudly again. She didn't want to go home. Linda would be rushing to get ready for her next party at three.

She played the usual conversation over in her head. Linda would burst into the house. Her twenty two year old boyfriend would be waiting in the car while she took a quick shower and got ready. She would pop out of the shower and "throw on" a dress. (By throw on, she would take twenty dresses out and try them all on in record time. Then try on ten of them, and then five, and then whittle her way down to the dress she was going to wear) Sarah would usually come up the stairs just about as Linda was starting to dry hair.

"Mom," she always said that word with a bad taste in her mouth. Mom was a person who didn't divorce dad to strike out on a wild acting career. Mom was the woman who got the two year old and the dog off the table. "Insert flavor of the week here is waiting down stairs for you."

"Oh thanks, Sarah. I'm sorry you can't go. This was just short notice. Tell him I'll be down in a minute." She would reply. Sarah would turn to leave, but Linda would stop her. "Oh sweetie, you didn't say that you were my daughter did you?"

The first time Sarah heard this question, she was hurt that her mother would be so cruel. "No," she would reply. "He didn't ask."

"Well if he does say you're my cousin, or my niece or something."

"Ok," she'd reply. And with that, Sarah would go back down stairs and surf the internet some more, ignoring the awkward stranger.

After experiencing that a few times, Sarah made it a point to be out. If Linda really needed her for anything, she'd call her. Sarah's opinion of her mother had changed greatly in the past three years, especially since she realized that she didn't need her dreams as much to help her cope. Instead, she looked to Karen. Where Linda had failed, Karen succeeded. Fortunately, Karen didn't have to work, and was able to stay home with Toby. Sarah liked it this way better. It was more comfortable. Unlike Linda's empty beach house and constant partying.

Sarah was still considering these things when a garish street sign caught her attention. It was bright yellow and had "Cabalus Market" painted on in gothic block lettering. Sarah looked at the usually empty lot. A renaissance style fair stood in neat little rows selling their wares. There was something sinister about the place; something that was off. In the back of Sarah's mind, she didn't think she should go in. But when did she ever do the things that she should? Sarah pulled the flyer out of her bag and red over the quaint poetry again. This would be amusing at least and she really did hope they had a large selection of fruit—except peaches.

Sarah meandered through the lines of the fair making her way to the back. It really was like a wanna-be renaissance fair. Only, whoever designed it really put a lot of thought and effort into it. It almost looked like something from the Labyrinth—here again her fight and flight synapses were crossed. Instead of thinking that the similarities between the Labyrinth and the market were a dangerous thing, Sarah only thought about how gimmicky is was. To her, it was almost hammy. Sarah snorted at the thought of that word. It had been her favorite word before. She loved to call things hammy. Now she only used it when something was really overdone—like Linda. She thought bitterly.

Light music twinkled through the air as Sarah neared the center of the market. She saw a crowd standing around something. Curiosity fully piqued, Sarah forced her way to the front of the crowd. There was a troop of belly dancers there. They moved seductively in time with the music. They wore gold, light green and black dresses. Their skin was painted gold. They swayed like snakes to the beat. Their shining skin, sultry movements, and music mesmerized Sarah. She was captivated, entirely captivated. They moved closer and closer to the onlookers. If the people were coherent, they would have noticed that the dancers were pulling men and women away from their families and to a tent. One moved close to Sarah, holding her with a steady gaze. Sarah felt like she was pinned to her spot and she couldn't move even if she wanted to, (which she didn't). The dancer took Sarah's hand. Sarah stood mesmerized, but then came to reality, when a forked tongue flicked out of the woman's mouth. It touched two golden plates on the woman's forehead Something jerked Sarah back. This wasn't human whatever it was.

Her bleary mind processed the only thing that it could—flight. Sarah receded back into the crowds still trying to shrug the charmed sleep from her thoughts. The further she moved away from the dancers the better she felt. She wandered until she was almost at the back of the market. She stopped next to a water fountain to get a drink and finally clear her mind. She stood there breathing heavily. Something from deep within told Sarah to run for the exit—to run away from the fair, but she didn't listen. After the Labyrinth, she'd repeatedly told herself that she could manage any situation, and this was just a new situation. She could handle herself

She saw a fruit stand and walked over to it. She was absent-mindedly browsing the fruit when a voice startled her.

"A peach for the peach?" He asked. Sarah looked to her left and was immediately faced with a peach. She looked down the arm of a man and up to a handsome face. He had sharp features and smiled wildly showing his teeth. His eyes were a strange dusky grey. Sarah stepped back and regarded the gift as well as the being offering it. She knew that he was off.

"I'm allergic." She replied. It wasn't the full truth, but like the adage said, "The truth was stranger than the fiction."

"It's a pity. Peaches are quiet delectable." The man said. His voice sounded very sensual when he said delectable. Sarah started to move away feeling a less confident after her encounter with the dancer. She knew that this was not just some hammy makeshift fair; a lot of this was real faery stuff. The fruit was probably laced.

"Yeah, had one once, it was not good."

"Well, my lovely dear, take your pleasure in looking. If anything pleases you feel free to take."

"If I take it then you don't make any money. Sarah reasoned.

"Only if I do it to a lot of customers." He replied still smiling. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm horribly overpriced. This way it covers when I let the women take what the want."

"All the women?" Sarah asked.

"Only the most beautiful ones." He replied rakishly. Sarah blushed and stepped back.

"Well, since I don't fit in that category, I'm going to check out the competition." She turned to walk away.

"Sarah," the man called. She turned around at the mention of her name. "One for travels." He tossed her something. Sarah deftly caught the object and looked at it. It was a large rip plumb. Sarah held the plum tentatively, and though about throwing it back to him. There was something treacherous going on here, but she couldn't decide what it was. She move to throw it back to him, but he stopped her. "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Sarah regarded him, and then accepted the plum.

"Thank you." She replied and walked away. As she walked away, a small voice urged her to throw the plum as far away as she could. The message never made it to her limbs

An empty house greeted Sarah, not that she figured anything would be any different, but she had some small hope that her mother would be home. She wanted to tell her about the strange fair, and then have her throw the fruit out the window. Sarah seemed incapable to get rid of it herself; she'd tried several times on the way home.

Once she was in the kitchen, Sarah set the plum on the far side of the counter as she prepared to make a fruit salad. She avoided the plum for the rest of the evening. It made her nervous. The last time she'd eaten strange fruit, it induced a wild dream.

The rest of Sarah's day was uneventful. She watched television and got on the internet until it was dark outside. Hungry, she went to rummage for the last of her fruit salad, but found she'd eaten it all. She huffed in frustration. The plum sitting on the far corner of the counter caught her attention. The dark purple skin contrasted with the sleek white counter top, begging her to sink her teeth into the flesh. She turned away from the plum. She'd rummaged through the pantry, refrigerator, freezer, and all the cupboards three times before she realized that there was absolutely nothing to eat.

She approached the plum apprehensively, and stared at it like it was about it bite her. "Are you from him?" She asked it. "I bet you are." Then she stopped talking to it. "Great, I've gone insane." She grabbed the fruit and washed it.

Once she dried it off, Sarah went back into the living room, holding it to her mouth. She opened her mouth to bite it, but couldn't bring herself too. She sighed. "Stop it Sarah, you're being ridiculous. The Goblin king has no power over you remember." She coaxed herself.

In an act of imagined defiance to an imaginary foe, Sarah ferociously bit into the plum. Her entire body went rigid as it prepared to combat what ever happened next.

Nothing happened.

"Oh my word, Sarah, you need a head doctor." She told herself feeling foolish for letting herself dramatize the situation. She continued to eat the plum as she walked back into the living room.

"She's not your daughter. She's mine!" Sarah woke up at the sound of Karen's voice yelling at someone. She furrowed her brow and tried to understand what was going on. She felt something up her nose and pulled it off. It was an oxygen tank. She still didn't understand. Sarah opened her eyes a little more widely trying to take in her surroundings.

"I had her you didn't." Linda replied angrily.

"Yeah, you had her and left her." Karen retorted. "If you had been watching her properly, this wouldn't have happened."

Now fully awake, Sarah realized that she was in a hospital room. She straightened and stared around her wildly. _"Why am I in the hospital?"_

Her father sat sleeping in a chair on the right side of the room. "Dad!" Sarah yelled. He woke up with a start, and gawked at her.

"Sarah, you're awake!" He said sitting forward.

"What's going on?" She asked. He crossed the room and enveloped her in a hug.

"We were so worried about you. When your mom called and said that you were in the hospital—"

"Dad," Sarah repeated. "What's going on? Why am I in the hospital?"

Robert stopped squeezing his daughter and looked at her squarely in the eyes. He didn't say anything and then hugged her again. "You had us all so worried. I'm so glad you're awake."

"Yeah, I got that part." Sarah retorted still annoyed. "But why am I in the hospital?"

"We're not sure." He answered finally, and then launched into an explanation. "When you didn't call, Karen got worried. Linda found you the next day passed out on the floor." Karen walked into the room looking upset.

Her mood immediately changed when she saw Sarah. "Oh, Sarah, sweetie, how are you?"

"Confused," She replied. "I wish I knew what was going on?"

"Us too, we were so worried about you. Your father was able to get us out here to come see you. I'm glad we could." Karen say on the edge of the bed. "The doctors are running tests now to find out what's wrong." Karen explained. "We're going to find out why you passed out for three days."

Sarah was quiet the as all the information sank in. She stared absently at pink blanket covering her legs. She picked at the fuzzies on the cover while Karen explained everything that had happened to her. She didn't need the doctors to tell her what was wrong. She already knew—the Goblin King.

As her parents discussed what to do next, Sarah's mind wandered back to the plum. All of this was his fault; she thought it was childish of him to retaliate. She ignored her common sense that violently repeated, "I told you not to stupid girl." She wasn't about to accept any blame for what was happening. It was the Goblin King's fault. He was the one who gave her the peach.

"You didn't have to eat it, or take it." The voice repeated. Sarah sniffed and looked out the window. Linda was standing in the hall brooding. She glowered hotly at Karen. Sarah couldn't tell if it was from the prior fight or if Linda hated not being the center of everyone's world. Sarah didn't care. She looked back to Karen who was very intently listening to a doctor who'd just walked in.

Of course, the doctors didn't know what was wrong with her, and sent her home. Karen refused to let Sarah spend any more time with Linda, not that Sarah truly minded. Not having Linda in her life was nothing new to Sarah; there had been far too many broken promises in their relationship ever to allow anything stronger to bloom. Now, Sarah returned home with a hope that whatever this was would soon pass—not so.

She spent the next six weeks in the hospital, while the doctors pinched, poked, and prodded her. None of them could find any deficiency in her system, or any mutation in her DNA. All anyone could tell was that she passed out, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. As school neared, Sarah grew restless. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in a hospital; she wanted to continue in her life, and this was stopping her. Finally, she put an end to the doctors.

"Sarah," her father said, "are you sure?"

"Yes. Dad, it's been a month and a half, and they haven't found anything. I'm tired of going to the doctors. Maybe if I don't go, I'll get better."

"How does that follow?" Karen asked. "Doctors make you better, not worse."

Sarah had to recover quickly by saying, "Well, what if they're exposing me to things while I'm there. Not like purposely. But you know a lot of people get sicker when they go to the doctor just because that's where all the sick people go."

Karen gave her a skeptical look. "Are you really that tired of the doctor, Sarah?" Karen asked earnestly. Sarah nodded.

"Yes, I'm sick of people poking me with needles, and then telling me I'm fine. I just want to be normal." Sarah replied. Karen sighed and put a hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"All right, well, you're father and I will talk about it."

"Thanks Karen." Sarah said. She gave her stepmother a hug.

That was the last of the doctor issue. Sarah didn't have to return again, nor would she under any circumstances, even when the symptoms got worse.

Sarah went back to high school, fully planning to enjoy her senior year. She thought that the worst of the fainting spells were over. A nurse at one of the hospitals taught her a technique for handling them, and she felt assured that she could. Besides this was just another thing to handle.

Three weeks into school, Sarah stopped sleeping. At night, she would lay in bed, unable to sleep. It went on for a month before Karen said anything. The first night it happened, Sarah assumed that it was a fluke. Then a sleepless weak passed. She would stay up all

"Sarah, you look sick. Are you all right?"

Wearily, Sarah craned her neck towards Karen's voice. "Huh? Oh, yeah, just didn't sleep well."

"Still?"

"No, I haven't been able to sleep for a month, Karen." Sarah replied. "I try, but nothing happens. I can't think clearly; I can't do anything. I don't know what to do." Sarah choked back some of the tears that were welling up in her throat. Karen came to her side and put a comforting arm around Sarah's shoulder.

"Maybe we should—"

"No, no doctors. Karen, I just can't go back to them. They don't know anything anyway."

"Well, at least let's get you to one who can write you a prescription for sleeping pills." That Sarah would agree to do. She got the pills, and they helped some, but still there were many nights she couldn't sleep.

Still, Sarah determined to press on. She felt that nothing would make the Goblin King angrier than her defiance at his futile attempts to ruin her life. She tried to be involved at school, though it was sometimes very trying on her. Hoping that her friends would know something, Sarah tried hailing them in her mirror. They never came—yet another punishment from the petulant Goblin King.

He's just like a spoiled three year old. Sarah thought. Throwing a tantrum. I really wish—She stopped the train of thought there.

"You're falling back into bad habit, Sarah." She told her reflection. "You can't go around wishing things."

Feeling exhausted from the constant mental battle she waged against her better judgment just to give up the ghost, Sarah folded her arms on the dresser top, and put her chin on them.

Then a thought struck her, "Maybe if I wish myself better." She mused aloud.

Sitting up ramrod straight, she pretended that she was Juliet calling out to Romeo. (Which, she thought in retrospect, was a dumb play to pull from. Everyone ends up dead.)

Sarah rushed to her window. She threw the sash open and leaned forward. Dramatically reaching out to some unknown destination, Sarah cried, "I wish I were better again!"

Some small part of her expected a giant clap of thunder, and a lightening flash, but nothing happened. Sarah slouched and laughed wryly. "I wonder if insanity is a part of this curse, or maybe just talking to myself is."

Feeling more defeated than before, Sarah threw herself on her bed and began heaving sighs. It wasn't fair! He had to play by the rules. She made a wish; he should honor it. Those were the rules—but Jareth never played by the rules anyway.

It was almost Christmas time, before a new symptom appeared. Thus far, only the fainting spells and long sleepless nights bothered her. She woke up that morning after experiencing a rare commodity—a good night's rest. Her stomach felt a little queasy, but she chalked that up to her monologue she had to recite for drama class. Nothing out of the ordinary, just some nerves acting up. At least that's what she told herself.

She was halfway through Lady Macbeth's monologue when the wave of nausea blasted over her. She stopped, hoping the teacher would read it as a dramatic pause, and closed her eyes.

"Sarah," the teacher called. Apparently, the pause seemed more like a forgetting of lines. "Do you need a prompt?"

"Uh, no, I—I—excuse me." She whispered. She bolted for the bathroom. She was going to vomit. She barely made it to the bathroom before her stomach emptied out it's contents. She couldn't make it to the nurses office, and by the time Sarah got home, she as vomiting blood. It didn't stop for an entire week. She couldn't eat; she couldn't sleep. She couldn't even leave the bathroom. She tried everything, even doctor prescriptions; nothing worked.

Finally, two weeks later, Sarah stopped. She had to take nutrients intravenously since anything she tried putting in her mouth usually didn't stay down. Her body had regulated itself, and she returned to school. Though, she wished that she hadn't.

Just because her world stopped, didn't mean that the school stopped with her. Sarah had never really been popular among the other girls. Most of them just made fun of her. Rumors spread as quickly and as violently as her illness did. The final straw came from what she thought was her best friend, Allison.

"So, what's going on with you Sarah?" Allison asked one day as the girls changed books between classes.

"Nothing, why?" Sarah replied absently. She was more interested in the notes she was studying for the French quiz next hour.

"Well, I guess if you don't want to talk about it." Allison replied, feigning hurt in her voice. Sarah looked up from her notes and stared at Allison quizzically.

"What am I not wanting to talk about?"

"Well, I mean, being pregnant is a big deal, but if you don't want to talk about it with your best friend, I guess I'll wait until you're ready."

Sarah's green eyes grew wide. "You're pregnant?" She asked in a hushed tone. If Allison was pregnant, Sarah didn't want people to hear.

"Not me!" Allison yelled. "You! Have the drugs really fried your brain that bad."

Sarah drew her dark eyebrows together. She blinked at Allison a few times, trying to understand what she was talking about. Drugs? Pregnant? "What are you talking about? I'm not using anything that's not prescribed, and I'm most definitely not pregnant! Where would you get that from?" Sarah retorted.

"Well, I heard that you were taking some kind of pill—" Allison started.

"Yeah, a sleeping aid. You knew that already." Sarah cut in, her tone accusing.

"Then, when you were gone for all that time, throwing up. Well, everyone just thought that you were—" Allison mumbled.

"Allison! You're not everyone. You're my best friend. You know me better than that. I've never even had a boyfriend."

"Don't be so conventional Sarah. You don't have to have a boyfriend." Allison replied. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Well, still." Sarah replied effectively ending the conversation, and in some ways the friendship. If someone, who'd she been friends with since she was three, would believe the nasty rumor about her, then Sarah didn't need her as a friend. She already had enough enemies.

Two months later Sarah left the public school system in favor of suffering through homeschooling. In some ways, homeschooling let her have more freedom. She was free to suffer without ridicule, (unless Karen got overly worried.) In others, homeschooling trapped her in her own little world, again. Only this world wasn't a fantasy, it was more like a never ending nightmare of doctors, neddles, feeding tubes, and dark circles under her eyes.

Sarah finished high school in May, and then started the ever ongoing battle with Karen to let her go to college.

"Oh, com'on, Karen. It's college. I can't live here forever. I need to learn to do something productive with my life."

"Sarah, sweetie, I know you want to get out on your own, but you're always so sick."

"Maybe if I get on my own, I'll get better." Sarah said. Somewhere in her life, Sarah had learned to use illogical logic. Sometimes it worked.

"We tried that with doctors, and we all know where that landed you." Karen replied, with a note of admonishment in her voice.

"Hey, I left school because people are nasty little backbiting goblins."

Karen gave her a sharp look.

"Please Karen; my grades are high enough that I can get a scholarship at West Bordensboro University." Karen looked at her pointedly. "I checked, and I even—hang on—"

Sarah ran upstairs. She returned with a paper. She waved it in her hands. "I got accepted to it."

"SARAH!" Karen yelled.

"What? I was taking initiative." Sarah handed the paper over to her stepmother.

Karen furrowed her brow, but took the letter. She skimmed over the letter of acceptance. She sighed and looked at Sarah. "All right, I'll talk to your father about it. See what he says."

"Really?" Sarah asked her face lighting up with glee. Karen nodded. "Oh, thank you Karen." Sarah embraced her stepmother, and then gleefully went back to her room.

September rolled around, and Sarah enrolled in the local college under the stipulation that she would get a roommate. She did, and began her college career with some semblance of freedom. She tried to participate as much as possible in her classes. Though she had to take a major in writing, Sarah was always active in the plays.

Ever since she'd had the illness, Sarah had tried to show the Goblin King that he had no power over her, no matter what he did. She hated him for her condition, but constantly told herself that he was a spoiled brat, behaving like a little child. She was above that and would put every little ounce of energy she could muster into letting him know that she truly was the champion of the Labyrinth, and that he had no power over her.

All right, so my first full length Labyrinth fiction. Please be honest and tell me what you think! I honestly don't mind flames, but I prefer constructive criticism. And yes, this seems a little Sarah centric, but worry not! Jareth will make an appearance soon. R&R.

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	2. The dreaded Death in Life was she

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda legal jargon, blah blah blah, lawyer talk, ramble ramble ramble, basically I don't own anything that belongs to rich people who aren't me. Blah blah blah, I'm poor, and make no money…. Yadda yadda yadda

Chapter 2: The Dreaded Life-In-Death Was She

Sarah was in her fourth year of college. She was almost done and had coped with her illness as best as she could. Despite her "disability", Sarah had set her jaw, and squared her shoulders against whatever the Goblin King would throw at her. She immersed herself in the reality of college, sometimes pushing herself past her limits, but none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered to her was showing Jareth that no matter what kind of temper tantrum he threw, she was still the reigning champion of the Labyrinth. Granted, she never said that personal goal to anyone. Sarah had a slight aversion to being forced to talk about her feelings with a person who didn't care.

Her family still worried, however. Sarah tried to keep them at bay by not telling them things. She rarely visited them, which was hard. Sarah did love her family but she didn't want to chance Karen seeing her and then freaking out. She was actually glad that they were going to her grandma's for Thanksgiving instead of forcing her to visit them. She had been extremely sick lately.

It was a struggle to even keep up with her classes. She was enjoying the three day break the school was giving for Thanksgiving. Sarah planned to sleep and get caught up on all the homework she was missing. Her roommate had left to go visit her boyfriend.

Having a roommate was one of Karen's stipulations. Sarah didn't mind. There was someone to turn in her homework for her when she had a fainting fit. Sarah didn't care if she left her alone for a little while. Some alone time was good.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to Steve's?" She asked.

"No," Sarah replied finishing a paper that was due first thing after the break.

"Sarah," Her roommate said as she dropped her duffle bag at the door. "You should really find a guy."

"What if I don't want one?"

"You don't have to keep him for a long time."

"I'm not really interested in keep or getting a guy. I just wanna get through today, and maybe tomorrow. I'm really wanting to get through the rest of the year." She said with a laugh.

Her roommate laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ever the optimist."

A car horn alerted her roommate that Steve was there to pick her up. She smiled and gave Sarah a hug. "Get a lot done this break kay Sarah? I'll be back when classes pick up again."

"Have a good time, and tell Steve hello for me. Happy Thanksgiving" Sarah said. Once her roommate left, Sarah jumped to her feet and ran to the bathroom. She threw up the contents of her stomach.

As she lay there balled up on the bathroom floor, Sarah began crying. "I hate you Jareth!" She yelled. "I hope you get this tenfold." She closed her eyes and drifted aimlessly between that wretched place between awake and asleep. This was going to be the longest break ever. She sighed as she drifted into a half sleeping state. She was running down the wall outside the Labyrinth. In the distance, she saw Hoggle spraying faeries just as he always did.

"Hoggle," she yelled. He ignored her and kept spraying. She ran faster to him, but she felt like Alice in wonderland and the egg, no matter how close she got he was always far away. Finally, she was too exhausted to run anymore and she sank down the wall in defeat.

"Well, 'allo again," the worm said.

"It's you." She breathed.

"Yeah, s'right."

"Why can't he hear me?" She asked on the verge of tears.

"Dunno, maybe you can't be part of us anymore?"

"No!" Sarah screamed jumping to his feet. "I won't let you guys go."

"You're not; we are." Suddenly, the world around Sarah faded out. She sat up in her bathroom. Sarah looked down at her hands. This skin around her fingers was white. She grabbed the hand mirror from her dresser. Her face was devoid of color. Sarah dropped the mirror and slumped against the cabinets. She felt warm tears trickling down her face. She wiped them off as they collected on her chin. She wasn't specifically sure why she was crying, but she suddenly felt completely alone. If the Labyrinth abandoned her, then she wouldn't have anything to live for. She would be alone in the sense that everything she did to "stick it to the man" was a complete waste.

Not entirely able to cope with the despondency, Sarah crawled to her bed. She laid her head against the mattress. She wasn't sure that she had the energy to climb into her bed. Sarah closed her eyes and drifted back into that half sleeping state.

Again, she was on the Labyrinth wall. Sarah sighed as she spotted Hoggle, once again killing faeries. She slowly began walking to him not expecting to get anywhere. She gasped when she found herself standing in front of him.

"Hoggle," she exclaimed.

"Hullo, Sarah," he muttered.

"Hoggle, what's going on? What happened earlier?"

"Sarah," Hoggle started looking down at his feet. "Sarah, we can't be friends no more. You aren't part of the Labyrinth."

"Why?"

"You see—" He started but he couldn't finish. Hoggle suddenly jerked his head away and looked towards the castle. "Bye Sarah," he mumbled.

"Hoggle, no!" She yelled. "I still need you, and I have a reason. I'm dying Hoggle. I still need you!" Sarah screamed. She was still screaming it when she opened her eyes. Somehow, Sarah was lying on her back from her sitting position. She felt worse than before. Slowly, Sarah clambered into her bed, curled into a ball, and started sobbing until she cried herself into a fitful, uncomfortable sleep.

The next day, Sarah laid in her bed, half-trying to rest her mind, and half working on another project. She stopped when her phone rang. It was Karen.

"Hey Karen," she sighed.

"Don't sound so happy, Sarah. How are you doing?"

"Fine," She replied. A sudden blackout started pulling Sarah down. Tunnel vision impaired her eyesight. Karen was babbling about Toby.

"Toby," Sarah thought exasperated. "Sarah how old is Toby?" She asked herself. "He's five." She worked through several questions trying to keep her slight grasp on reality from slipping through her fingers. She made her way to the bathroom because she felt like she was going to spit up the bile that started churning in her stomach.

"Sarah," Karen's voice called. It seemed ridiculously distant. "Sarah, are you all right?"

Suddenly jerked into reality by Karen's sharp tone, Sarah was able to sprawl out on her floor and offer a breathy, "yes."

"Are you sure, Sarah? You don't sound well sweetie."

"I'm—I'm fine Karen." Sarah replied still in a precarious position between passed out and awake.

"Well, if you're fine, then check outside and see if it's snowing." Karen replied with a laugh.

"Karen, We live in New England, and it's November. It's always snowing." She grumbled.

"Humor me sweetie," Karen said. In the background, Sarah could hear Toby yelling.

"I wanna see Sarah!" He yelled. Karen shushed him.

"Come on, Sarah, just see. It's snowing over here. I want you to check your front door." Karen stated.

"Fine," Sarah groaned. She rolled to her hands and knees and crawled towards the door. She heard the neighbor's dog outside barking at a car pulling up. "Who could that be?" She grumbled some more to herself as she forced her body along the floor.

She barely was able to grab the door handle and jerk herself up into a half standing position. Sarah was sick of getting "half-through" life. She wanted to either get well or give up the ghost. Sarah sighed yanked the door open. She half screamed at Karen.

"Karen!"

"Sarah!" She yelled. "Oh my goodness, you look horrible." Karen suddenly thrust her arms around her stepdaughter and pulled her close. After Karen released her, she dragged Sarah into the living room and sat her down on the couch.

"Karen, what are you doing here?"

"We're here for Thanksgiving sweetie. Why didn't you tell me you were so sick?"

"I didn't want you to worry." Sarah retorted.

"Well, you just sit down and rest. I'm going to make us an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, and we can be a family again." Karen wandered into the kitchen and began rummaging through the empty cupboards and refrigerator.

"Not like I can eat it." Sarah muttered rubbing her temple. She looked up at her father as he walked in carrying Toby and some bags. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

Sarah hoisted herself to her feet to give her father a hug. "How are you doing?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "I thought you were going to grandma's."

"She wanted to come see you, and so did we. We've missed you." Robert pulled his daughter into a hug and kissed her hair. Sarah looked at Toby and held out her arms.

"What's up with you kiddo?" She asked.

"SARAH!" He yelled and jumped into his sisters arms. Sarah hugged her little brother closely. She suddenly remembered why she was fighting the Goblin King and whatever illness he gave her. She had fought for Toby before, and she surely wasn't going to give up now. Maybe she could dig a little deeper and find that hidden bit of strength she'd used to jump to save him. That extra push of courage she called on to tell Jareth no. Saving Toby from the Goblin King the first time would be in vain if she gave up now.

"Oh, my goodness Sarah, there's no food in here. What do you girls eat?" Karen called from the kitchen.

"We usually eat out, and I wasn't planning on doing much so I didn't go shopping." She said hugging her little brother close to her.

"I guess we'll have to go shopping." Karen said.

"That's fine. I have some papers I need to finish up if you wanna go and then come back." Sarah replied. "Oh gosh Toby, you've gotten so big." She grunted putting him down. She patted his head. Another blackout tried to wash over her, and Sarah swooned a little. Her father grabbed her arm.

"Sarah, are you all right?" He asked worriedly.

She waved him off. "Yeah, I'm all right. I just need to lie down. You guys go ahead to the store. I'll be fine." Sarah moved towards her bedroom. She threw back her covers and collapsed on her bed. She was vaguely aware of Karen coming in to tuck her in, but beyond that, she was lost in some misty land of half dreams. She was lost and searching for something, but she wasn't sure what. She kept getting glimpses of things that she remembered from the Labyrinth. She found herself at the edge of the Escher room faced with the option of jumping. She glanced behind her, and there was a large black void threatening to overtake her. She glanced down at the black hole at her feet. Somehow, neither option presented an appealing ending. Her eyes flicked back and forth between each of the voids. Sarah waited until the encroaching blackness pushed over the ledge. She was falling forever down the hole. She looked up, saw a fuzzy head looking down at her, and heard a deep throaty voice laughing. She didn't have time to yell an acidic insult back at the laughing image. Her body fell on the ground with a dull thud. A crack reverberated through her head. She stared up into nothingness before her sight went black.

"Sarah, we're back!" Karen yelled as she brought the first load of groceries into the house. "Robert, she didn't reply."

"Well Karen, she might still be asleep, so just let her rest." Robert replied feeling slightly aggravated. Karen just rambled about Sarah's sickness the entire time. He knew his daughter was sick, but he couldn't dwell on it. It stressed him out. His wife went into the house and then he heard her scream.

"ROBERT! COME QUICK! CALL AN AMBULANCE!" She shrieked. Robert dropped his groceries and sprinted into his house. He almost threw up when he saw his daughter lying on the ground, a thick sticky trail of blood leaking out of her head.

A disgustingly familiar sound woke Sarah up—a heart monitor. She hated the sound of the heart monitor. If her roommate had left one of those obnoxious medical dramas on again, Sarah was going to beat her.

Slowly she opened one of her green eyes and saw a doctor leaning over her getting vitals from her ears. "Well, Bob," the doctor said. Sarah noticed he walked with a cane and looked extremely scruffy. "I can tell you that your daughter is sick. You might want to get her to a doctor."

"That's why we brought her here." Karen snapped. "Now if you're not going to help us, we're going to get a different doctor."

"That's fine with me. I really didn't want to help anyway." He said making for the door.

Sarah felt now was the time to interject. "What's going on? And why am I in the hospital?" Every eye in the room turned on her.

"Well, it looks like she's up. Good." The doctor's voice lilted sarcastically.

"Oh, Sarah, are you—never mind don't answer that. You fell and cracked your head sweetie. We had to bring you to the hospital. This is Doctor House. He's going to see if he can help you."

"Karen, I hate the doctors. I'll just take some Tylenol and go home. I'm fine."

"Actually, you'll probably be dead in the next week." House said cheerfully. Any words that were on Karen's lips died instantly.

"What do you mean dead?" She snarled.

"As in not living."

"I know what dead is _Doctor_ House, but why will she be dead?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she's sick." He replied. He had a tactless air of misguided playfulness to his tone, which grated on Karen's nerves.

"Look, Doctor House," Robert interjected sensing his wife's temper. "We just want to know what you can do for Sarah. She's seen a lot of specialist, but none of them have been able to help."

"All right, well let me talk to the kid a lone and I'll see what I can do." House replied. Karen tried to protest, but Robert guided her out of the room.

"You're a jerk did you know that?" Sarah stated tersely once they were alone.

"I've been told, but hey, I don't have to deal with me, you do." He replied sitting on the edge of her bed.

"So, what's the scoop that your parents don't have? Who you been seeing?"

"No one, I've never had a boyfriend. I've been like this pretty much since I was eighteen. I spend most of my time blacked out. Not exactly conducive to a dating relationship," Sarah replied. House pulled out her history chart to confirm what she said. He thumbed through the pages.

"Did you mean what you said?" She asked breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"About what?"

"About me dying before the weeks over."

"Oh, absolutely. You're practically dead as it is. I mean I can give you a lot of treatments and everything, but I guess you're parents should make funeral arrangements." House continued to ramble on about things, but Sarah just tuned him out. She gritted her teeth at the news. Maybe the Goblin King had won after all.

A/N: Ok, never expect this to happen. I hardly ever do more than one update in a good long while. I had such a happy response to getting reviews so quickly I figured I'd do a give and take relationship. I want to thank everyone for reviewing and do a shameless plug for my 100 theme challenge, please go read it.

Notwritten: Glad to see you again. And thanks, I'm trying.

BookWorm0001: Yes, Jareth will be in the next chapter. What's wrong with Sarah is she's dense. She expected to get a better result after knowingly eating faery fruit.

Stillfeelsixteen: Whether or not it's actually Jareth remains to be seen… for you guys at least. There's a strong possibility that it might be him, but at the same time it might not be.

Ariena-Rose Eveilebe: Thanks so much for reviewing.

So review some more. I want to thank all of you for favs and alerts, but reviews really inspire lol :) Enjoy and R&R

TTFN

Baby Turtle


	3. And to the Feary Court They Went

Chapter 3: And to the Faery Court They Went

The page stopped and stared at the castle. The Goblin Castle was a daunting sight. The turrets loomed over him and glared down, warding him away. He stood there for a long time gathering his courage. Not only were the turrets daunting, but also there were two guards standing at attention in front of the door. Their heavy metal armor glinted maliciously in the sunlight. They stood tall and broad, holding their weapons at attention. He stepped forward slowly, eyeing their weapons. The Goblin Kingdom was known for its intense military. Immediately, they crossed their maces across the tall, ornately carved doors.

"What is your business here?" The guard to the left snapped.

"I'm here to see—see the Goblin King." The page stammered.

The guards eyed him darkly. "No one sees the king without an appointed audience."

"I have a letter from the—the—my letter is from the—it is from—well, I carry word."

"Out with it, boy!" The guard to his right demanded.

"My message is from the Elite Thirteen for the Goblin King." He said finally. The guards tensed. The Elite Thirteen ran the major affairs of the Southern Underground. Unhesitating, the guards opened the door. He pushed the page in and motioned for the butler to come to them.

"This lad has a message for the king." The guard said and then he slammed the door shut.

The inside was unlike anything the page had imagined. Dark, heavy stones vaulted the doorways and unintelligible, black hallways led in every direction. Gnarled, snarling gargoyles lined the walls glaring down. The young page shifted uncomfortably. _With ugly goblins roaming the place, who thought gargoyles would be a good idea? _He thought.

A butler came to the door, his eyebrow arched in permanent distain. "This lad needs to see the King. He has a message from the Elites." The guard stated, roughly shoving the page forward. The elf looked down at the boy and turned on his heel. He walked down the long, dark hallway directly in front of him. He turned around and glared at the young boy when he did not follow. Again, the page swallowed and ran after the elf.

The butler led him a down several long winding halls. They finally entered the spacious throne room. The limited light in the room illuminated the Goblin King as he lounged across his large throne. He disinterestedly stared at a letter as if he were bored. He impatiently tapped his riding crop against his leg that rested on the arm of the throne. "Your Majesty," the elf said giving a low, swishing bow. "A page to see you, Sire."

"What does he want?"

The butler turned towards the page and with a disdainful glare asked, "What _is_ your reason for bothering the Goblin King?"

"I have a message from the Elite Thirteen." The page said, reaching into his bag. The butler's face drained of color as he glanced at the king. The Goblin King seemed to be serene as ever. He continued tapping his crop against his boot and reading his paper.

"Highness—"

"I heard the lad. Go fetch the High General." The butler bowed and left the room. "Give me the message, boy." The king said still not moving his gaze from the letter.

The page stepped forward, wondering how he could be so calm. Most people, monarchs included, would be quaking in their boots and listening with rapt attention. He pulled the scroll out of his bag and cleared his throat.

"To the Monarch of the Labyrinth, and King of the Goblins, Jareth, the mighty—"

"You can dispense with the pleasantries." Jareth snapped aggravated.

"Yes, Sire. We, the council of the Elite Thirteen, representatives of the Southern Underground, hereby require the presence of Jareth, the Goblin King. He is required to attend the next session. There are matters which we, the Elite Thirteen, will discuss concerning the mortal girl, Sarah Williams, who ran and defeated the Labyrinth a decade ago." If the page were watching, he would have noticed the king's grip tighten ever so slightly on his riding crop. However, everything else about the king's countenance remained perfectly placid, so it was a minor detail.

"That will be enough," he said still maintaining his disinterested façade. He held out his hand for the scroll. Carefully, the page placed the scroll in his open, gloved hand. "I will send for you when I am ready to send my return message. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Sire." The page bowed low and scurried out of the room.

Jareth carelessly tossed his original letter onto a tray sitting next to him. He opened the scroll and began to read, impatiently tapping his riding crop against his black leather boot. He looked across the room at a mirror. His bored face reflected back; immediately, Jareth turned away.

Despite his exterior, on the inside Jareth was panicking. He would never show any outward distress in sight of his servants. Over the past centuries, this last one in particular, he'd become exceedingly talented at maintaining disinterest. He had a few tells, but those could only be learned after intense study, and as a habit, he never used the same tell all the time.

He read and re-read the short message trying to decipher what the Elite's angle was. It had been ten years since he'd seen or heard anything about the mortal girl Sarah Williams. Notwithstanding, she occupied his thoughts daily.

After her run of the Labyrinth and he lost, Jareth was devastated. He kept this to himself since most of his kind expected him to make the mortal a thrall. However, he had rarely seen such a vibrant beauty. He could not look at any of his own kind and see beauty. He was less than enthralled with social gatherings, and only went when it was deemed necessary.

He threw himself into his kingship and built his military larger than it had ever been in record of the Goblin Kingdom. For most of his military might, he thanked his high general. She was a warrior from Chaldea, a land north of the Drow Mountains. At that moment, she was standing at the foot of the dais of Jareth's throne.

"You summoned me, Highness?" She said with a curt bow.

"Yes," Jareth replied. He slowly sat up and held out the scroll. "What do you make of that?" The High General took the scroll and began reading it.

"It's a summons from the Elite Thirteen." She said, her blue eyes going wide in shock.

Jareth formed a cluster of crystals in his hands. "Yes, High General," he replied as he twirled them delicately across his fingers. "I am aware of that. What say you to the content?"

The High General's eyes skimmed the message rapidly. "This is about the mortal?" She asked. "Why would the Elite Thirteen care about that?"

Jareth smirked. "Yes, High General that _is _the question. Is it not?" He rolled the crystal onto the tip of his fingers and stared at his reflection.

"I do not see how, Highness. That happened so long ago and I saw to it personally that the issue was quieted."

He rolled the crystal on the back of his hand and held it there. "Yes, I know and you did a smashing job of it." He dusted the crystal off on his black leather jerkin. "So, again, we arrive at the question, why would the Elite Thirteen care at all about a simple, mortal girl?"

"Sire," she began. Ivory looked to her left, and Jareth followed her gaze. The butler was standing in the doorway watching them.

"We should retire to study, High General." Jareth stood gracefully. His long black feather cape billowed behind him glinting in the limited light.

"Yes, Sire." The High General replied following him. The walked down several winding hallways and up three flights of stairs before they finally arrived at the study.

The High General entered first and inspected the study. The room held too much sensitive information, so Jareth sealed it from the outside world. If one wanted to know what was going on, he would have to come in and place something in the room. Finding nothing, the High General motioned for Jareth to enter. She closed the door behind him as he made his way to his desk.

"So, Ivory," he said addressing her by her name. In private, Jareth and the High General were more informal. They had known each other for a long time. Ivory had become the High General in the last decade, before that, she was his personal guard. "You apparently have some thoughts."

"Yes, I do." She replied walking over to a bookshelf. "I told you I personally saw to it that any information regarding the mortal was hidden." She plucked a tome from the shelf and set it down in front of him. "However, it is public record." She tapped the cover of the book_, A Public Record of Labyrinth History._

"Yes, so you think someone dug up the information and put it before the Elite Thirteen?"

"Yes," she said. "They have no reason to look at the information. You have had no contact with the mortal since that incident. Someone is trying to force something on the Labyrinth."

"You may have a point. However, this is a summons, and I must go."

"Yes, you must. I shall gather a platoon to escort us." Ivory turned to walk away.

"No," Jareth said.

"No?"

"No, High General, just you and I will go. I do not want to arouse suspicions. This is a summons to the Elites. Taking a platoon of any kind will appear that I wish to make war."

"That's the last thing we want to do." Ivory looked down. She held on to the hilt of her word. "Are you certain that you would like me to accompany you, Sire? The Elite, actually, all fae have a certain, distaste for me."

"Yes, I need you to keep watch." Jareth moved the tome and went to reading some papers.

Ivory bowed her head. "Yes, Sire. Shall I make preparations for our departure?"

"Yes, High General, please do." He looked up at her. Ivory of Chaldea was a tall woman. Her years as a warrior gave her a hard, thick physique. Her long, curly black hair was almost always in a braid, along with her dark red forelocks. She told him that all Chaldeans had two colors in their hair.

All of this upset the fey society, but nothing upset them as much as her being a Chaldean. The Chaldeans were a warring people to the north. They never went beyond the Drow Mountains, mostly because the Drow were their arch enemies. They were half-breeds, half-fey, and half something else. None of them had ever come so far south. Only two people knew how Ivory arrived in the Labyrinth, Ivory and Jareth, but they would never tell.

Jareth stared at the paper in front of him blankly. His eyes flicked, as if he were reading, but his mind was elsewhere.

His mind was the only place where he ever felt truly alone. Those few cubic centimeters in his cranium allowed him some privacy. It was not a pleasant place. Jareth's mind was very labyrinth like, and at the center of his labyrinth was a castle dedicated to one being—Sarah. For the past decade, he'd uselessly pinned over her. However, he never showed it on the outside, even to Ivory. After Sarah championed the Labyrinth, she left Jareth defeated and broken. She would never see anything he sacrificed.

Ivory, in her clumsy, militant manner helped to stitch his kingdom back together, but she was a solider, not a seamstress. She'd forced him to refocus outwardly. Perhaps it was a little bit of her own agenda to push the Labyrinth's military into near perfection, but he didn't mind. Most of the other kingdoms envied his army. She did well to keep him distracted with that. Still though, all those things did little to help him get over _her. _

This letter from the Elite's dredged up a lot of old thoughts. He did not voice them to anyone, as he did not want to be thought of as weak. He especially did not voice them to Ivory.

She knew her place, but would readily tell him in a mocking, condensing tone, "Oh the bleeding hearts of the Underground unite to feel your pain, Sire."

He never quite understood why she hated Sarah so much. Jareth put those thoughts aside as he scrawled out his agreement to attend the council meeting.

There were four ranks of fey beyond the regular definition of most faery folk. There were the common fey, which were the servants and middle class. Jareth and the monarchs of his generation comprised the royal fey. High fey were the monarchs before Jareth's generation, most of them were considered gods among the human races. Then there were the Elites. These were the highest ranks of all the fey. Thirteen of the most dominant made up the council.

No fey of any rank wanted receive a summons from the Elite Thirteen. Those summons held an atypical foreboding. Not even Jareth's calm practiced exterior could stand the summons.

The Elite Council hall was long with two floors. The council sat in the center of the north wall on a dais that loomed over the center of the floor. To be more intimidating, the center of the floor was lower than everything else was. The higher ranking fey sat in benches on the first floor that looked down on the summoned. Because Ivory was a Chaldean, she had to sit in the balcony with the lower ranking fey. She pushed her way to the north wall and sat in Jareth's direct line of sight. She watched with intent interest.

After the formal introduction, the Elite Thirteen sat in their chairs. Most of them weren't very interested in the case of Jareth and the mortal, but had to attend. Oberon, a faery monarch, Odin, Jareth's uncle, and Zeus were active participants in the case.

"Do you deny then, Goblin King, that you did go Aboveground multiple times to see the girl, without being called?" Zeus snapped. Personally, Zeus hated Odin and anyone associated with him.

"No, I do not deny it."

"Then you gave her the Underground Illness?"

"No, I did not. I was not even aware that she is unwell, sir."

Oberon leaned forward and glared down at Jareth. "I find that very hard to believe, Goblin King. You were Aboveground more often than a normal call. Perhaps she infatuated you?"

Jareth turned his unmatched eyes to up Ivory for unspoken support. She gave a gentle nod of her head. "I will admit that she did infatuate me, sir, but—"

"Then you had cause to poison her." Zeus cut him off angrily.

"Master Zeus, you are jumping to conclusions. He never said that. He merely said that he liked the girl. You've liked a few mortal girls in your day, eh Master Zeus." Odin interjected with a mocking laugh. Zeus slanted his eyes at the other Elite, but said nothing.

"However, in all seriousness, Goblin King, the mortal Sarah Williams is sick unto death. You were the last person to have contact with her."

"I have not seen the mortal girl since she defeated the Labyrinth, Sir. I have not left the Underground, save for official business, and my High General will attest to that." He glanced up again at Ivory who smirked at him.

"Well, we have an option for you." Oberon stated. "You can either forego your kingdom, or bring the mortal girl, Sarah Williams back." As the words fell out of Oberon's mouth, a collective gasp sounded throughout the room. Jareth's jaw tightened and he gripped the railing in front of him.

"Sir," he began. "Is that—"

"The Elites have made their decision, Goblin King. You can forego your kingdom or bring the girl."

Jareth bowed his head in consent. He could not fight the Elite's decisions. As if things were not in a poor enough condition, Zeus sat forward.

"Actually, Goblin King, you bring back the girl, or lose your kingdom." This sent the entire crowd silent. Even Ivory stood to her feet. She grabbed the front railing to keep herself from launching onto the lower floor. Instead, she forced her way through the dumbstruck crowd and down the stairs. She went into the airy anteroom to await Jareth.

She was still standing there for a little while when Od, Jareth's father approached her. "High General," he said. Ivory bowed to the former monarch.

"Your majesty, to what do I owe the honor?"

"I have a few questions for you High General." He said. "Was he being truthful? He did not poison the girl, or have any further contact with her."

"He did not, Sire. I _can _attest to that. As his High General and his personal guard, I am very aware of his where beings." She replied. Ivory took off her dress hat and began preening the feather that stood out of the left side.

"Just as I thought. Then you suspect something else?"

"Yes, Sire, but who would stand most to gain if his Highness lost the kingdom?" She asked.

"If Jareth loses the kingdom, anyone would stand to gain for it. Since he is the last available heir to my line any royal, high, or elite fey could vie for it." He said. Ivory nodded thoughtfully. "The thirteen would hold a tournament and the winner would take the Labyrinth."

"Sire, the Labyrinth always thought that you were a fair king. If there is a mishap, would you be able to—"

"Yes," he said quickly. "I would, but I could never give the throne back to Jareth."

Ivory opened her mouth to continue, but the main doors to the hearing room burst open. Jareth stormed out livid and a selection of high fey followed him. He glanced at Ivory to follow him. She made the first move, but Hades stepped in front of her.

"Ah, High General, I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your king. I do hope that you will accept my rule quickly." He said shaking her hand. Ivory jerked her hand back.

"I am not the one to impress, Master Hades. The Labyrinth is very temperamental about her ruler. Besides, you are very quick to assume that the king will forfeit the kingdom." She snapped tersely as she walked away. She was not going to allow anyone to take the kingdom from Jareth. If he did have to forfeit, she would see to it that Od won the tournament—at any cost.

As she made her way to Jareth's chambers, several more fey accosted Ivory with statements similar to Hades. She handled them with a cold demeanor. There was only one other conversation that stood out to her. Loki approached her just outside of Jareth's door.

"High General," he said tossing his long black hair over his shoulder. "I want to condole with you. I am very sorry that the Elites are treating Jareth so unfairly. I know he is not receiving guests at the moment, but I want him to know that I am always at his assistance."

Ivory eyed him suspiciously. "How very—kind of you Master Loki, I am sure that his Majesty will be most grateful." Ivory opened the door to Jareth's personal chamber just enough to let herself in.

Jareth was lying on a chaise in his black uniform. His black shirt hung open slightly at the chest showing his sickle shape pendant. His long legs clad in his tight pants, and his booted leg hung off the chaise slightly. He was rubbing his temples with his gloved hands, occasionally running them through his shaggy, winter white hair.

"This is all very—"

"Stressful, difficult, unnerving?" Ivory offered with a sigh.

"Yes," Jareth replied. He sat forward and poured himself a drink. "I have no idea what to do, but whatever it is, I cannot forfeit my kingdom." He took a sip. His unmatched eyes stared out into the distance.

"No, you cannot. You will have to go fetch the girl and bring her here."

"Yes," he replied. "I know. I worry that she will not trust me, and therefore will not come. She painted me the villain, as you well know." Jareth stood up and began pacing.

"Then let us deal with that problem when it is time. Right now, we cannot allow you to forego your kingdom. The Labyrinth will not take well to another king. She likes you. You must at least ask the mortal."

"Ivory, I—"

"No, Jareth." She snapped cutting off any sentimental counter he may have given. "You are king of the Labyrinth, and the goblins. You are a great warrior. You will go get the mortal girl, and you will bring her back."

Jareth looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. He nodded and went to his desk. He scribbled out some instructions on a sheet of parchment. "Here," he handed her the paper. "Go and make preparations, Ivory. I will bring the human." Ivory took the paper and bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty." She left immediately, and left Jareth to his distracted thoughts.

TBC

So here's another update. And I'm sorry if this one seems stilted. It was difficult to write. Enjoy Read and Review. There are some edits in here, because this chapter was not as well written as I would have liked.

: here's your update. Thanks for reviewing.

Not Written: Thanks for review.

Ariena-Rose Eveilebe: I always reply to the reviews. I hope you like my portrayal of Jareth. He doesn't always just write himself like I'd hoped.

Bookworm001: Thanks for the review. No, House isn't faery folk. This is just a left over from when I originally wrote it as a one-two chapter cross over. Sometimes you just can't get rid of something.


	4. Come with me and Be my love

**Chapter 4: Come With Me And Be My Love**

_Finally!_ Jareth thought as he landed on a branch outside a hospital in his owl form. He had spent the last three hours tracking Sarah down. The Elites warned him that her condition was poor, but a human medical ward was the last place he expected her to be. His heart raced a little now that he was so close to her. He wondered if ten years had altered her at all. Then he remembered it was only four years for Sarah. She would still be a young woman.

He soared out of the tree and dropped to the ground. As he landed, Jareth transformed to a man. He leaned against the tree and surveyed the grounds. He watched the entrance carefully, wondering which room was hers.

"Mommy, look at that funny man!" a young child yelled, pointing at Jareth. His mother looked at Jareth; her eyes widened. She shushed him. "But Mommy, he's funny!" the little boy wailed.

Jareth made a face. He walked around the other side of the tree, and then cloaked himself from mortal eyes. Presently, his plan did not require any contact with the other mortals. He walked into the hospital. He could sense Sarah above him on a higher floor. Her pulse barely threaded through the building. It unnerved him. She always had an intense pulse before.

Jareth stood outside Sarah's room for a few minutes. He gathered his strength before entering the room. As he saw Sarah's diminished figure, Jareth tensed. She looked like a skeleton with skin loosely sew on. Her skin was yellow and cracked. He moved over to her bedside.

Jareth gently stroked her hair. "You cut it," he lamented. "What a shame." He passed a hand over her face. She did not have much longer.

"Who or what could have possibly done this?" He asked her. Jareth rested his gloved hand over her eyes. He narrowed his own miss-matched eyes in frustration. She was too weak for him to pull the memory from her mind.

A pair of nurses came in and checked her. "This one's a sad case. She's so young. Doctor says she's only gonna live a few days longer." The first nurse said as she took Sarah's vitals.

"I just hope that this isn't some sort of epidemic. I would hate to look like that when I go."

Jareth sneered at the woman and looked at Sarah. She did look haggard, but that would change in a few days. After the nurses left, Jareth pulled a chair next to Sarah. He touched her temple with the point of his finger. "Dream," he whispered.

Sarah stood still on the windswept hill. The landscape hadn't changed in the past four years. The castle beyond the Goblin City stood tall and straight against the pumpkin colored sky. Below her, the Labyrinth spread out in a never-ending, always-changing brain like pattern.

"Well this is a fitting dream." She said to herself. "Of course, I'm going to dream about the place that caused all this mess."

"And what mess would that be?" A deep, English voice said behind her. Sarah closed her eyes and tensed. She gave a deep sigh.

"Jareth," she hissed as she turned around.

"Hello, Sarah," he replied. He still wore that insufferable smirk on his face. "You're looking rather haggard." He said. Sarah regarded him for a few minutes.

"Well, no thanks to you I'm sure." She retorted.

"Why, Sarah, my dear, whatever do you mean?" He chuckled.

"You know what I'm talking about, you jerk." Sarah crossed her arms and cocked her hip.

"I am rather at a loss, my darling?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned back to look down at the Labyrinth. After a few minutes of silence, Sarah sighed. "What do you want Jareth?"

Suddenly, he was at her elbow whispering in her ear. "What, you mean more than your sparkling conversation?" His breath was hot.

Sarah jerked away. "Yeah, 'more than my sparkling conversation', what do you want Jareth?"

He stood back from her and rested on his cane. "You have become remarkably cynical, my darling, but you have a point. I have a purpose in visiting you."

"Yeah, I figured." She replied.

"You are not well—"

"Well, obviously," she snapped.

He gave her a sharp look for interrupting, but then continued. "You are not doing well, and I have a proposition for you."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Jareth skeptically. "What kind of proposition?"

He stood back and smirked at her again. He called a crystal to his hands.

"Tell me that crystal will show me my dreams Jareth, and I'll punch you." She snapped. He laughed and tossed the crystal up in the air.

"Hardly, your dreams, Sarah darling, but your life, now that is a different question." He caught the crystal and tossed it to her.

Sarah looked down at the glass orb in her hands. It reflected her face, but then the scene changed. She saw Karen, her father, and Toby. They were all wearing black and crying. Sarah furrowed her brow deeply. The shot widened and showed them hovering over a casket. Then she realized. It was hers. Sarah swallowed deeply. She squared her shoulders and threw the crystal back to him.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why should you not believe me?"

"That's not answering my question Jareth." She replied.

"Is it not? I am terribly sorry darling. I just thought you would prefer to live."

"And what, get turned into a goblin? Hmmm, tempting offer, but I think I'll pass thanks."

"I would not turn you into a goblin, Sarah. You would become a citizen of the Underground."

"I'm still wondering why you're doing this." She kept her arms folded and raised an eyebrow. "I mean you don't seem like the type to do things for free."

He looked pensively at his cane. "I would be able to say that I brought the mortal who defeated the Labyrinth to her knees." He said finally. "It would be the greatest triumph for me."

Sarah just snorted. "What a sore loser." Sarah muttered under her breath. "Still no reason for me to go down there."

"Well, Sarah, you have three days to make your decision. I mean, that is if you do not want to have your family to have to burry you so very young." He stepped close to her. "Either way, Sarah, you have three days to decide or die." Jareth took her chin in between his forefinger and thumb, "Such a pity," he muttered.

Sarah started awake in her bed. She stared at Karen dumbly, still trying to blink the flashes of glitter from her eyes. "Sarah, honey, are you all right?" Karen gripped Sarah's hand tightly.

"What?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, Karen, I'm fine. Just a strange dream."

"Oh, well do you need anything? Can I get you something?" Karen asked.

"No, no, I'm fine." Sarah sighed. She sat there looking at her hands thinking about Jareth's offer. She wasn't sure that he was even telling the truth. The other question was how much choice did she have? Did she want to live in slavery to the Goblin king? Would she?

"Sarah, do you mind if we have Toby in? He's been asking to see you."

Sarah came of her deep thought. "Oh, yeah, Karen, send him in." Karen looked up to Robert and nodded. Sarah's father left and returned a few minutes later with Toby. Toby ran to Sarah and threw his little arms around her neck.

"Sarah, you gotta get better ok?" He said adamantly.

"Yeah, I know, Toby. I'm trying."

"But you gotta try harder, Sarah! You gotta do whatever it takes!" He said hugging her closer. Sarah hugged him back. She looked out her window and noticed a white barn owl preening. She narrowed her eyes at him, and it took off.

Jareth landed in a park, transforming into a human. He looked around and quickly found Ivory. She was leaning against a tree, her eyes narrowed in permanent annoyance. She hated the Aboveground.

"High General," he called to her. Ivory stood up and stalked over to him.

"Are we quite done here, Jareth?" She snapped. "I hate the Aboveground."

"Yes, I know, Ivory. However, we need to wait three days."

"Three days, Jareth!" She wailed. He gave me a sharp look silencing her instantly. "Yes, my lord." She said grudgingly.

"I want to be on hand when she decides to come with us." Jareth explained. "I am fairly sure she will. I would that I knew who did this to her."

"Does she fair that poorly?"

"Aye, she looks rather like death. Perhaps, Death might even have more bloom in her cheeks."

Ivory arched an eyebrow and flexed her jaw. "I am very sorry for her. She will not refuse you though Jareth, of this I am sure."

"You as well Ivory?"

"If she does, Sire, I will personally take her to the Underground. I will _not_ lose you as my king." Jareth smirked. He patted Ivory's shoulder.

"I am very glad to have you, Ivory. You always give me comfort."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ivory said with a sigh.

Sarah sighed as she watched TV anxiously. Today was the third day and she still hadn't made up her mind. Death or living with the Goblin King, which was worse? Both offered unknown options. Sarah sighed again and dropped her arms in her lap. She groaned in frustration.

"Sarah, are you all right, hon?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad." She replied. She started chewing her nails. "Dad," she started, but then stopped unsure of how to continue.

"What is it, Sarah?" He replied coming to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Dad, if you knew of a way to save me, would you do it?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Even if it meant I moved really far away. I mean somewhere like, like Japan or something?" She asked.

"What do you mean, Sarah? Have you heard of some new treatment or something?"

"Well, maybe, but it would mean I would have to go very far away. Do you think I—"She asked, still chewing on her nails.

"Yes," He replied immediately. She gave him a quizzical look. Robert took his daughters hands. "Sarah, I don't care if you have to go to the moon and back. As long as I know you're all right. I can't stand the thought of burying my daughter. I want you to be healthy."

Sarah looked into her father's eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, Sarah, if you know of something that could save you, then go for it." He kissed her head and held her close. Sarah closed her eyes and hugged him back. She had made up her mind—to the Underground.

Jareth and Ivory were still in the park. They'd spent the last two days waiting around for Sarah. Jareth paced back and forth in the clearing. His mismatched eyes stared in the direction of the hospital. A turbulent wind blew his feral hair around him, along with his black feather cloak.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, please sit down. You are making me nervous." Ivory snapped.

"How can I be calm, High General? Everything, my kingdom, your livelihood, everything rides on this one woman's decision."

"Yes, I know it does, Sire." Ivory replied. She reclined back against a tree and watched Jareth pace more. "However, wearing a hole in the ground will not make any difference to her decision."

"Yes, I know, but—" Jareth stopped in midsentence. His eyes went wide as he intently stared at nothing. "She has made her choice. I can hear her calling to me. Ivory, in the event that anything goes," he paused looking for a word. "Awry, please be prepared."

Ivory gave him a low respectful bow. "Yes, Sire." Jareth prepared to transform into an owl, but Ivory grabbed his arm. "Sire," she started.

He looked at her expectantly. "Yes, High General," he said.

"Jareth, I just want you to know that I—I—"

"Ivory, Sarah awaits, please, be brief."

The High General let out a heavy sigh. She let go of his arm. "Know that, no matter what the outcome is, you will always be my king."

Jareth smiled genuinely and clapped her shoulder. "Thank you Ivory, I am extremely happy to know you are always with me." With that, Jareth transformed into an owl and lighted his way to the hospital. He landed on Sarah's windowsill and waited.

On the inside, Sarah was asleep. She had called him to her, most likely from her dream world. Jareth teleported inside and preformed the familiar task of dream walking with her.

This time they were in the ballroom. Sarah was wearing her white dress he created for her and wandering aimlessly through the empty hall. Gentle music tinkled through the air as she made her way towards him. Jareth's chest tightened with anticipation, both of her answer and of the locale. She was steps away from him, and he closed the distance quickly offering her his hand.

Sarah softly placed her hand in his. Jareth did a sweeping bow before closing the small distance between them. He put his hand on her waist and led them out on the floor to sway to the music.

"This is a rather interesting choice." He said finally. Sarah shrugged.

"You're telling me. Why did you pick it?"

"I did nothing to select this place. Perhaps it lends itself to your deeper feelings." He leaned close to her face.

"No, if I were selecting something from deeper feelings, Goblin King, I would have suspended you head first over the bog." She retorted.

"Your subconscious seems to be in a great disagreement with you, Sarah." He smirked.

Infuriated, Sarah jerked away. "No, it isn't. You're just being a pig. Personally, Jareth, I hate you and I hope you choke." Jareth smiled at Sarah and held his arms open for her to continue their dance.

"Come now, Sarah. Let us not quarrel. We have business to discuss."

Sarah glared at him, but then consented to let the music take her away. "Well, ok, so I decided to, well, go with you to the Underground."

"Ah, splendid, I have a room prepared for you." Jareth practically chirped.

"Well, we need to explain where I'm going to my family." The Goblin King raised an eyebrow at Sarah's suggestion. "I don't mean tell them I'm going to live in a magical unicorn land."

"The Underground is hardly a magical unicorn land, Sarah."

"Well, I mean I can't tell them I'm going to the Underground. That's a one way ticket to the loony bin. I'll have to make something up. Like you can be a doctor from Germany and you have this ground breaking treatment for me, but you have to take me to Germany to do it."

"If you wish," Jareth replied. He leaned into Sarah's hair and pulled her a little closer.

"Will I still be able to talk to my family?" She asked removing her head from Jareth's chest.

"Yes, of course. I will be sure to provide you with anything you need. I would not have you cut off from the rest of the world."

"Somehow this all seems too good to be true. What's your angle Jareth?"

"Angle?" He repeated confused.

"Yeah, why are you doing this. You don't need me."

"I have my reasons." He replied.

"Yeah, well that room you have isn't an oubliette is it?"

"Hardly, once you arrive, however, it will fine tune itself to your preferences." Sarah regarded him suspiciously for a few minutes. Jareth only smiled at her. "Fine," she relented. "Let's get this going. You'll have to come in when my parents are here. I need them to see this."

"But of course, darling, I will have the whole thing ready for you." The song ended finally. "Until we meet again, my darling, I bid thee a sweet adieu." Jareth bowed low and kissed Sarah's hand. The room slowly faded black. Only Jareth's smug smile remained in focus until she opened her eyes.

"Dr. House?" Sarah said sitting up a little. He ignored her, engrossed in the soap opera on the television. "Hello," she said. He turned around and looked at her, but then went back to his soap opera. Sarah rolled her eyes. "Well, hello Sarah, how are you?" She asked, mimicking his voice.

"Why I am actually doing a lot better, thank you for asking. How are you?"

She then continued in a low voice. "I am doing fine, but I do seem to have an ego the size of the sun, and someone licked the red off my candy this morning." She snapped.

House continued to ignore her. Sarah rolled her eyes and growled in frustration. She grabbed the cord for the remote and pulled it to her. Once she held the remote in her hands, she shut the TV off.

"Hey, I was watching that!" House exclaimed.

"So, sorry, I thought you were too busy being a jerk." She snapped back. House scowled at her.

"You're rude. Did you know that?" He replied crossing his arms.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black."

The childish argument was about to ensue when Karen and Robert came in. They always visited around lunchtime. Robert would come in the mornings before work, and then Karen would come in the evenings after work. Somehow, they always managed to make lunch together.

"Hello, honey," Karen said as she came to give Sarah a kiss.

"Hi, Karen."

"How is the dearly infirmed?" Robert asked feeling her forehead.

"Fine, Dad." She replied. "Look, guys, I have something to tell you. I found someone who I think can help me."

"What?" The others chorused. "What do you mean 'help you'?"

As if on cue, Jareth entered. He looked perfectly normal wearing nice slacks, and a button up. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the feral strands smoothed down against his head. "I would be able to help Sarah heal." He said. Karen whipped around and glared at him.

"And just who are you?" She demanded.

"My name is Dr. Brian Harper." He said. "I am a physician from Germany. I have only seen one other case such as Sarah's, and with her families consent I would like to try a new treatment on her."

"You have an English accent." House pointed out.

Jareth smiled and looked House over. "Yes, and you have a cane, sir. I hardly see how that is a material point." House sneered at Jareth and looked out the window.

"You see, Mrs. Williams," Jareth stepped forward taking Karen's hand. "Sarah and I have been conversing about her condition. I would love the chance to help your daughter become well again. She is such a precious little thing."

Karen stared hypnotized by Jareth's eyes. "Yes," she mumbled. Robert stepped in. Jareth stepped back from Karen.

"Well, how do you we know anything about you? I would like to see some paperwork."

"Of course, Mr. Williams, whatever you desire, I will provide." He replied slowly smiling. "I understand your desire to protect your daughter." Jareth put a hand on Robert's shoulder, and suddenly his demeanor changed. "But with your daughter having so little time, perhaps we should allow the formalities to slide."

Robert knitted his brow. "Yeah, maybe we should."

"I have all of Sarah's paperwork ready to go whenever she is. If you would all like to talk about things, I will leave you." Jareth gave a slight bow of his head and backed out of the room.

Karen looked at Sarah. "Honey, why didn't you tell us?"

Suddenly, finding herself on the spot, Sarah quickly came up with a believable cover story. "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, Karen. I didn't want something to go wrong and then everyone be upset."

"But, Germany Sarah? That's so far away." Robert said.

"I'll still be able to call you guys, and we can write all the time."

"I guess." Robert sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dad, it's my one chance. Dr. Harper is a good doctor. He came with a lot of recommendations." Robert smiled and nodded.

"All right, honey, I guess if it's a chance. We can take it. I just want you to be safe." He kissed her forehead. "Well, kiddo, I guess we better take off. We can't be late back from lunch." Sarah's parents kissed her and left.

"So what's the real story behind you and England?" Dr. House asked leaning on his cane.

"What?"

"This is just too perfect of timing. You dying and don't want your parents to watch? That's kind of selfish."

"You would know Dr. House. If you want the truth, Dr. Harper is really a king from a magical land called the Underground. He lives in the Goblin Castle. He was a jerk and gave me fruit that did this to me, because I spurned him. And now that I'm dying he wants to take advantage of having the upper hand. But I'd rather live with him, than die here."

House blinked a few times. "Ok, so go ahead, lie to me. Everyone else does." He muttered as he walked out of the room. Sarah shook her head and leaned back. For the first time in four years, she had a good amount of hope that things were going to get better.

Ivory waited impatiently in the clearing. She listlessly watched some young children playing on a swing set and sighed. Her mind was not focused on the children, or anything else for that matter. Thoughts of Jareth losing his throne swirled around in her head. If the mortal declined Jareth's offer then Ivory was going have to figure out a plan. Her hand absently wandered to the small dagger she had strapped to her thigh. She fingered the hilt gingerly and smiled at the small comfort. She momentarily wondered how much blood a mortal could spill.

If it was Ivory's fault the mortal was dead, the council would punish her. Mostly likely exile her from the Southern kingdom. That thought didn't bother her, as long as Jareth remained on the throne. The only thing that did bother her was the fact that she would be forced away from Jareth. She had—

"Ivory!" Jareth's voice interrupted her thoughts. Ivory snapped her pale face towards him. His face beamed with joy.

"Yes, Jareth? What news?"

"She accepted."

Ivory sighed in relief, but a new kind of dread washed over her. She hated Sarah with a deep passion. "Very good," she said.

"Yes," Jareth said. He snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared. "Have this delivered to the Elite, and make the final preparations."

"Directly, Sire." Ivory took the scroll and bowed. She went back to the Underground and followed her king's orders, as always.

The next day, Sarah, Karen, Toby, and Robert were all at the airport. Sarah and Jareth checked in for flight reservations. Karen was bawling by the time they got to the gate. "Oh, Sarah, I'm going to miss you. This is worse than when you moved out." She sobbed and held on to her daughter. Even Robert's eyes gathered tears in the corners.

"You'll promise to stay in touch and give us an address when you get there so I can write." She said choking on a sob.

"I will, Karen. I love you guys so much." She hugged her parents. When it came time for Toby's hug, he refused.

"Come on, Toby, please give me a hug."

"No!" He yelled.

"Toby, I have to go, if you don't give me a hug I won't have one from you to take with me."

"I don't want you to go! Why do you have to go?"

"Because Toby, I have to get better. If I don't, then I'll die and you won't even to get to talk to me on the telephone. I'll be gone forever." Sarah explained. Toby blinked a few times and shook his head.

"Don't die Sarah!" He began crying.

"I won't if you give me a hug." The young boy's blue eyes widened. He threw his arms around his sister. Sarah hugged him back and smiled inwardly. She finally released him. "All right guys, wish me luck and hope I get better fast. I'll call you when I get settled in." Everyone crowded in for one last hug as Sarah and Jareth departed through to the checkpoint. With one last look, Sarah waved goodbye and then rounded the corner.

"So what now?" Sarah asked him.

Jareth held out his hand. "We go home."

"The Underground isn't my home Jareth." Sarah retorted.

He just smiled. "Do not worry. It will be. Close your eyes." He said. Sarah did as instructed. She felt a tug and a sudden drop as Jareth teleported them to the Underground. "Welcome home, Sarah," Jareth said after a few minutes. Slowly she cracked open her eyes, terrified of what she might find. When she saw where she was, Sarah gasped.

TBC….

I guess that's not much of cliff hanger. So, this one came a lot more easily than the last one. I didn't feel like I was pulling teeth. I hope Jareth is still all right. He strikes me as a rather bipolar character anyway, very subject to pleasing whomever he chooses. I hope this was an ok chapter. Read and review. If you see anything wrong, please let me know. I really do enjoy reviews of any kind. For those of you who read last chapter, I did do some editing. Nothing major though, so it doesn't change the plot at all. I just edited it so that it wasn't so hard to read.

29: Thanks. I hope you keep enjoying my story.

Roy's Little Girl: No, being a grammar Nazi is perfectly fine. Though I do have a question, what makes your spelling more correct than mine? Part of the reason I spell it "faery" is because that's the way I see it in poetry.

: Here's more. Lol Thanks for reviewing.

Lylabeth1: Thanks for commenting. I'm really glad you enjoy the story. Yeah, I know that this does deviate from the actuality of what real folklore would say, but for the sake of the story, I had to kinda keep in somewhat cannon with the movie. Personally I—well at this juncture, I shall remain silent on my opinion. Lol Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like the 100 theme challenge. Also, thanks for all the tidbits about folklore. You should put it to some good use.

Notwritten: Thanks for reviewing.

My guest reviewer: I'm sorry I didn't get to the explanation here. I will next chapter. Thanks for reviewing.


	5. Homunculus, I am ill

**Chapter 5: Homunculus, I am ill. **

Sarah was in a garden. A river ran to her left, and flowed down the landscape under a bridge. Dimly lit candles hung from tree limbs that brushed the water's edge. She watched the water as it continued down into reservoirs before vanishing out of sight. Flowers turned their faces up to the moonlight that filtered through the trees.

"What is this place?" Sarah asked, turning to Jareth.

"My personal palace garden," he replied smiling at her. "I hoped it would be to your liking."

"Yeah," Sarah replied dreamily. She watched the sky as it twinkled on the blue water. She looked into the water and saw illuminated wisps of fish swimming around. Something larger came down the river. It had a human form to it, but it swam like a fish. As it came closer, Sarah saw that it was a mermaid. The maid looked up at Sarah from under the water and smiled. It reached out to Sarah and Sarah reached back. Just as their fingers were about to touch, the mermaid jettisoned away.

"Wow," she breathed. For the first time in four years, Sarah did not feel as if she were going to pass out, or throw up. Maybe even just being in the Underground was helping her heal.

"Yes, it is." Jareth answered her thoughts. "You will feel the change gradually as you become a member of the Underground."

"Will I be given any special powers?" She asked excitedly.

"Hardly," Jareth replied with a snort. He leaned forward on his cane and smiled. He stepped next to Sarah and held out his arm. "I have prepared a meal for you, before I take you to the healer."

"Healer?" Sarah repeated questioningly. "I thought you just said—"

"Yes, I said you will get better with time, but would you really want to waste all that time on just healing? A healer will have it done in a few days."

"Oh," she said. She reached for Jareth's arm. She still didn't trust him, but he didn't throw her immediately into an oubliette, and this garden was beautiful. They were about to walk down the cobblestone path over the bridge when a man stepped out of the shadows.

"Sire," he said as he bowed.

"Yes, Demetrius?"

"You'll forgive my interruption; however, the High General requests your presence." The messenger said. Sarah took him in. He was slightly taller than her. He wore leather pants that covered his boots and a long tunic vest that left his muscular, bronze arms exposed. His black, curly hair hung around his face, which looked something like a statue of David, or some Roman god.

"Can it not wait?"

"I do not think so, Sire. The High General seemed extremely adamant about this. She had selected me to be the Lady Sarah's guard in your absence, Sire." Demetrius replied giving a slight nod of his head.

"Oh, really? Without my consent?" Jareth said. His voice had an almost airy quality to it.

"I suppose so, Sire. The High General meant to take as much burden away from you as possible, as always."

Jareth heaved a heavy sigh. "I suppose," he breathed. Demetrius held out his hand. Jareth took Sarah's hand and placed it into Demetrius' hand. He turned to Sarah and very gently took her free hand. He brushed his lips against the back of her palm. "I shall see you again soon, Precious." He smiled and disappeared.

Sarah turned to her new companion. She pulled her hand away from him completely. "So, who are you?" She asked.

"I am Lieutenant Demetrius, madam. I will be your personal guard from this point on." He replied giving Sarah a low, sweeping bow.

"And what if I don't want a personal guard?"

"I fear that there is not much to be done about that." He said. "You see, his Highness the king has decreed it, and the High General has sent out the order. These two things make your thoughts and wishes irrelevant. It is almost as if it were written in stone."

"I'm not irrelevant!" Sarah yelled indignantly, "and I don't need a baby sitter."

"No, Madam, you are not, however, your desires on this point are. The king and the High General are not people to be gainsaid."

Sarah crossed her arms and huffed, "so?"

"If I cannot move you on the inexorable nature of their decree, allow me to move you with this: if I were found not at my post, it would be my life." He replied. Sarah stopped and sighed.

"Really?" She asked. "They would kill you?"

"Unfortunately, disobeying orders is punishable by death and as these orders are so close to—" he paused and looked down, searching for the words. "So close to the king's heart, that death would be my punishment."

"All right, fine, I guess if I have to have a baby sitter, I will." She snorted. "Well, Jareth said he was going to feed me."

"Ah, yes, the king did take some measures to prepare your first meal home—"

"Get something straight, The Underground is not my home. I was brought here because king glitter pants is a sore loser." Sarah snapped pointing a long bony finger into Demetrius's face.

"I do not know what you mean?"

"He gave me the fruit that made me sick in the first place. This is all his fault." Sarah replied. Demetrius furrowed his bronze brow at Sarah.

"I suppose I can see your meaning." He said. "I felt that way when I first came to the Labyrinth." He took her arm and slowly pulled her along the bridge.

"What do you mean, 'when you first came'?" She asked.

"Like you, I did not come here because I wanted to. I was wished away by my mother."

"What?" Sarah asked, incredulous. "How could your own mother wish you away? What sort of person does that?"

"Unlike many of those who wish children here selfishly, my mother did it for my protection." He replied giving Sarah a pointed look. She looked down realizing what he was saying. "My mother had not been-exactly faithful to my father and he found out that I was not his child. He had every intent of killing me, but instead my mother wished me here." He laughed at the memory.

"But how could she send you here, knowing that you would become a goblin?"

"My lady, do I look as if I were a goblin to you?"

"Well, no, you're actually kinda hot." Demetrius raised an eyebrow. "But Jareth said that Toby would become one of 'us forever'." Sarah continued to question.

"Yes, one of us, a member of the Labyrinth, or Underground, not all of us remain here." He replied. "However, here we are, my lady." Demetrius held out his arm and displayed a romantic candle light setting. A chair suspended from a tree branch dangled next to a table. The table was set with golden plates and strange food.

Sarah went to the chair and sat down. She inhaled and had a brief moment of relief. She closed her eyes, and opened them again when Demetrius called her. He held out a plate of food in his hand.

"From what I understand you have been too ill to eat, however, since you are here, you should be able to draw some strength and eat." He smiled. Sarah took the plate and grinned back. Maybe having Demetrius as a babysitter wouldn't be so bad.

Jareth walked into Ivory's study. It was only a few feet down the hall from his own. Hers did not have the same opulence as his did, as the High General's taste was more minimalistic. A large wooden desk sat at the far end of the hall; to the right of it a long table displayed a typographically correct map of the Underground. Ivory was standing to the left of it placing some troops. He moved to stand next to her facing the large curio cabinet on the wall.

"I should hope that you have a good reason for calling me away from my

current duty."

Ivory eyed him for a few minutes before going back to her task. "I would hardly call what you were doing 'duty', Jareth."

Suddenly, Jareth grabbed her arm. "You will watch your tongue High General. I am still your king." He felt her muscles tense underneath his gloved hand.

Ivory glared into Jareth's eyes. "I never said that you were not, Majesty. However, you cannot let your like of a young mortal girl get in the way of ruling your kingdom." She pulled her arm out of his tight grip and moved some more things around.

"Ivory, she is my reason for ruling. Without her, I have—I am nothing."

Ivory rolled her eyes. "Please, Jareth, you are making me ill. You sound as if you were some lovesick muse, or tragic poet. However, let us get to matters of business. I took the liberty of penning your response to the Elite's, telling them the condition of their ultimatum. I just require your signature."

"Very good," Jareth replied. He walked over to Ivory's desk and skimmed over her letter. "I can always depend upon you, High General." Jareth took a quill and signed the letter. His signature flourished across the paper.

"Of course, Majesty, as always I am your servant." She said. She walked next to him and poured a little sand on the letter. "I will have this sent out immediately."

"Very well." He nodded and left the room.

While Jareth was gone, Sarah and Demetrius finished dinner finally. Sarah was laughing at one of his many stories. "So, my lady, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah, actually, I kinda wanna see my friends."

"Friends?"

"The people I met when I ran the Labyrinth, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus." Sarah replied taking a sip of her drink. "Hoggle left me with a little bit of a cryptic message a few days ago."

"I am sure that I can arrange that for the dwarf and monster. However, Sir Didymus is no longer with us, I am very sorry to say."

"What did Jareth do to him?" Sarah snapped.

Demetrius gave her a questioning look. "Why do you always assume that the King has done something?" He asked. "He is a very good king."

"He dragged me down here after he poisoned me."

"You seem to have a very negative view of our king. He did not poison you, and he was forced to bring you here."

"Oh, yeah, by who?"

"The Elite Council, they run the major affairs of the Underground. They had heard that you became ill after your run. They thought it might be Jareth as well, and gave him a choice: abdicate his throne, or bring you here."

"And you don't think he did?"

"No, the king is not a vengeful man. That would also break one of the major laws of the Underground. As things have modernized in the Above, we cannot interfere uninvited. To give you fruit, uninvited, would break that law."

"Oh," Sarah replied. She looked down at her hands thoughtfully. She never thought of Jareth being a good man. He was always the villain.

"However, you are here now, and as the king would wish I shall take you to the Homunculus."

"The what?" Sarah asked looking up.

"I will take her Demetrius." Jareth stepped out of the darkness of the trees and into the clearing. Demetrius bowed and disappeared into the shadows. "The Homunculus is a healer. He can cure you of this illness." Jareth offered Sarah his elbow again. Once she took it, the two of them started on another path towards the palace.

They were silent while they walked. Sarah stared at her feet, trying to think through everything Demetrius had said. "I trust your meal was to your tastes."

"Oh yeah, everything was really good." She replied, but then returned to watching her feet.

"I did not select Demetrius, the High General did, so if he is not to your taste—"

"No, he's cool. So who's really in charge here? You or her?"

"I am completely in charge, however, the High General takes very much of my burden for me." He replied. Jareth and Sarah continued to discuss her return. Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about him, but maybe he wasn't so bad.

Far above the garden, the High General watched Jareth and Sarah from her window. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Jareth's infatuation with this mortal girl reflected poorly on his ruling. In the past, Ivory had always just pushed him towards the military, but now she would not be able to distract him from Sarah.

"High General," a voice said. Ivory let go of the curtain and turned around.

"Yes, General Beliziam," She asked.

"I have received a dispatch from Loki asking when we will know the outcome of the Council's request." Beliziam said. He was one of Ivory's right hand men. Ivory had elevated three of her friends as soon as she was able. She had known them since before she joined the Labyrinth military and trained them in Chaldean battle style.

Beliziam handed her the sealed envelope. "Yes, thank you, General. I will have the king address it directly." Ivory replied. She walked to her desk and opened it. Beliziam walked to the window and opened the curtain. He watched Jareth stroll with Sarah through the garden.

"You know, he is disgustingly enamored with that mortal girl." He said after a few minutes. Ivory held her head in her hand and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, I am aware."

Beliziam looked at her and crossed his arms. "I am surprised at your taking this so well, High General. I never knew you to be one to take things lying down."

Ivory's nose flared, but she tried to keep all other signs of annoyance hidden. "Sometimes all one can do is lie down and protect one's vital organs."

Beliziam chuckled. "I suppose it is your duty to protect the king. It is a great pity though, that you cannot protect him from himself."

"What the king wants, Beliziam, the king gets." She replied. "Right now he takes her to the healer." Ivory told him, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, the poor stupid mortal. She should know not to eat faery fruit." Beliziam said.

"Faery fruit? How can you tell it was that?"

"I know the signs. I've been around long enough to know. The wasting away, the peaking and pining, classic faery fruit addictions. It would have had to been a royal or high fey for her to get something that severe."

"Yes, I figured as much. I did not think it was Jareth. However, it does leave us with the whole realm of rulers itching to take over the crown."

"Aye," he replied. Beliziam stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Things will reveal themselves in time." He left Ivory to her work.

Jareth opened the door to a dimly lit hallway. "The healer is this way." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. Sarah looked at him then looked cautiously down the hallway. It looked like a cellar. Various plants covered the sod walls. Flower sconces illuminated the hallway. Timidly, Sarah stepped over the threshold. Jareth stepped in behind her and motioned for her to go to the end.

They stopped at a wooden door with cut glass widows in it. "This is the healer's room. He will give you a draught of tonic. It will cause you to sleep and heal." Jareth opened the door.

"Ah, your majesty," an old man said. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Good evening, Homunculus, I have brought you the mortal Sarah Williams. She requires healing."

"Ah, yes," he said with a sigh. "I had heard that you would be bringing her to me. I have everything made up here." He motioned to a table behind him.

"Very well," Jareth replied. He took Sarah's hand and led her to a bed. "Here, lie down, precious."

Sarah did as she was told. "So what now? I mean is this going to be painful?" She asked.

"No," the Homunculus said. "It will be extremely pleasant. "It will revive you. You will awake feeling refreshed and well again." He handed her a large goblet. "Now, drink all this." Sarah took it and sniffed the stuff.

"Augh! This smells awful. What's in there?"

"Never you mind, child, drink it."

Sarah sighed. She pinched the bridge of her nose and downed the entire thing in one swallow. She stifled a gag when she was done. "It taste like it smells."

"Sarah, precious, you should lie back down. This will take affect very quickly." Jareth said with a slight warning in his voice.

"I don't feel drowsy or anything at—" She wasn't able to finish the sentence; Sarah was asleep.

After the Homunculus tucked her in, he turned to Jareth. He watched the Goblin King pace anxiously across the room. "Sire, you can return to your duties. The girl will be well cared for."

"Yes, I trust you, Homunculus." Jareth replied. He watched Sarah breathe shallowly for a few moments. "I cannot help but to worry for her. She has so little faith in me. I would hate for her to come to any harm."

"She will not. You will not make things go any faster by pacing around my office. I will send for her guard, and he can notify you the second she awakes."

Jareth sighed and nodded. He transported back to his study to find Ivory waiting. "High General," He addressed her. She bowed curtly.

"Highness, we have some matters to discuss." She said. Jareth nodded and waved her on. Ivory then began to detail Loki's letter to her king. He wasn't paying attention though. His mind was concentrating on the brunette mortal lying in the healer's room. He didn't see the aggravation so clearly playing on his High General's face. He didn't even know she was upset until she tossed the dispatch on his desk and left without a word.

Sarah woke up three days later. She sat up immediately trying to understand where she was. "I'm still dreaming aren't I?" She asked herself.

"Hardly," Demetrius said. Sarah blinked at him a few times trying to understand what was going on. She remembered having a long dream about the Underground and Jareth, but that was just a dream. As she stared around her now, she was less sure of that. "Homunculus did a very good job of healing you." Demetrius said. Sarah looked at him.

"What?"

"Here," he handed her a mirror. Sarah looked at her reflection and gasped. She touched her face, which was normally gaunt. Now, her cheeks were filled in and her skin had that youthful glow that it was supposed to. She didn't feel nauseated either. "You look very much better now than you did at your arrival. We will need to keep you here for a little while longer for observation."

"Yeah?" Sarah replied. She was still staring into the mirror. She had battled this for four long years, and it shocked her to be so suddenly cured.

"Yes, and while you're here, I arranged for some visitors."

"Please not Jareth. I don't know if I can handle him. I mean he's been really cool, but that could all be fake."

Demetrius shrugged. "Only one person knows the king's mind." He said. "However, it is not the King. I was able to grant your request." He got up and walked to the door. "Unfortunately, I could only find Mr. Hoggle." He opened the door, and Hoggle waddled in.

Sarah sat up and opened her arms to him. He threw his little pudgy arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Hoggle, I've missed you so much."

"Me too, Sarah." He replied.

"Why didn't you come to see me?"

"Well, really, I'm not allowed to leave the Underground without express permission of the king." He said. "And, cor, he was s'sore about yer winning all he did was brood for a long time. The High General had to pull him outta it."

"Oh," she replied quietly. "So when you came to me in my dream—"

Hoggle shook his head. "T'weren't me. I haven't seen you since that one night."

"That's Jareth's fault." Sarah snapped crossing her arms. "He poisons me and then won't let me get any comfort from my friends."

"He didn't poison ya, Sarah." Hoggle replied. "And it's not his fault; it's the law o' the Underdground." Sarah snorted at Hoggle. "So, how is Toby?" He asked.

Sarah sighed and looked at him. "He's good."

TBC…

All right so, not the most eventful chapter, but it did answer some questions and just developed the story a little bit more. The bad thing about this story is I know where it's going, I just don't know how to get there. I am hoping to pick things up. As always read and review… and those of you reading… I don't even care if you wanna flame me. Part of being a writer is taking the criticism. Also, if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.

NotWritten: Only Likeable? Really? Not good, not great, not even atrocious? Lol. Thanks for the review though.

Roy's Little Girl: Yeah, unfortunately for me I've been forced to read a great deal of poetry in my life. Actually, it's not the worst thing…. Lol I'm glad you like the House tie-in. I wish I could keep him, but he's not really important to the story. :'(.

GothicRocker2: Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Ariena-Rose Eveilebe: I'm really glad you laughed. I try to incorporate some humor in it. And yes, our dear High General esteems his majesty… not that she would ever say anything to him.

Kaytori: I'm not really sure how she's going to react. She's kinda thick and just has to be mad at somebody. And I hope I answered your questions.

Lylabeth1: Well, I'm glad I have a faithful follower. Jareth can go many ways as a character… I'm still fleshing him out. By the by, there's nothing wrong with a novel provided it's well written and decently edited. Lol. As far really well written Jareth's… I like Tailspinner by dreamer in Silico and the Reference by Ismira Daugene


	6. Garden parties

**Chapter 6: Garden parties are always such a pleasure.**

A cool breeze floated gently over the king's garden catching the fragrance of the numerous flowers that were in a perpetual spring bloom. The scent floated down to a young woman sitting in a wicker chair as she stared blankly at a dusty tome in her lap. Sarah blinked a few times at the book before finally shutting it; she wasn't getting any reading done anyway. Twirling her dark brown hair around her fingers, Sarah stared into the distance, contemplating all that had happened.

After spending a week recovering, she was almost back to her full health, and now that things were quieting down, she had fallen into a semblance of a routine. Feeling vital, Sarah often took to the outdoors. She spent most of her time with Demetrius roaming the king's garden. It was Jareth's personal alcove, and he only allowed his inner circle entrance.

Sarah considered all the things that had changed recently. Jareth, her arch-nemesis, was quickly changing his place in the world. Unlike the cruel monarch she'd known as a girl, this Jareth was kind and attentive. He doted on her. She had no feelings for him, but she didn't despise him. It was hard to hate someone who doted on you. She did enjoy this brief reprieve from his company though. Jareth was more of her constant companion than Demetrius. She questioned how he had time to run his kingdom; he spent so much of it with her.

He would probably be down in the garden reading to her at that very moment if some extremely important message from the High General hadn't demanded his presence. Sarah snorted. She still felt that the High General really ran the show. Any time, Sarah asked about how something was done, or why, or who, most everyone answered because of the High General; then again, maybe he delegated everything to the High General.

_I've never even seen this person. He could not exist. _Sarah laughed to herself, and then turned her mind away from the mythical leader.

Once she'd been well enough, Sarah wanted to see all of her friends. It hadn't been possible. Ludo, she found, was sent back to be with his own kind, and then there was Sir Didymus, who had passed away some years ago.

Suddenly remembering she wanted to ask Demetrius about Didymus, Sarah jerked to attention. It startled her keeper, who was standing languidly in the corner of the garden, watching her as he always did. She looked at him and wrinkled her nose.

"Demetrius," she said, standing to walk across the garden to him. "What happened to Sir Didymus?"

Demetrius raised his eyebrows and sighed. "He became very old Lady Sarah," he replied. "Or rather, he became so very much older than he already was. The High General placed him in the Bog for a reason. His tenacity was always admirable, and he could rally the troops. Alas, he aged as he should."

"Was he in any pain?"

"One cannot be sure. He died rather quickly." Demetrius said. As a soldier, especially in the High General's army, Demetrius was accustomed to being frank about death. She was always very candid about death, as if she'd been desensitized to it. He didn't realize that Sarah's sensibilities were not like a soldiers. He watched Sarah's face contort in horror, and quickly followed with, "I do not think he did. He was showing some, as he put it, 'very young pups how to joust properly' and his heart became stone with in him."

"Oh," Sarah said quietly.

"It was a lovely ceremony. The king saw to that. He loved Didymus dearly."

Sarah laughed. "Are you sure that the High General didn't do it? He seems to do everything. I mean if Jareth disappeared, and left him in charge, I don't know that anyone could tell the difference."

"My Lady," Demetrius said gravely. "I would not jest about the High General. Everything that she does is only to make things easier on the king. She has served him most faithfully for many years. "

Sarah folded her arms and rolled her eyes. It was more of this weird "we love the High General, and worship him" crap she'd gotten from everyone in the Labyrinth. "Well he—wait, he's a she?"

"Yes, the High General—" He stopped in mid-sentence and dropped to his knee crossing his arm over his chest. "Your majesty," he said, bowing his head deeply.

Sarah smirked. She turned around expecting to see Jareth. She had a caustic remark to make about Jareth being a hen-pecked man. It died on her lips.

The woman standing behind her took her aback. A tall, willowy woman stood there; Jareth's trademark smirk pulled at the corner of the woman's full, red lips.

"Oh." Sarah said.

Her icy blue eyes glared down at Sarah expectantly. The woman flipped her glossy crimson hair over her shoulder delicately, and then placed crossed her arms, placing a hand on the outer of each elbow. "You are to bow in the presence of the Queen little mortal girl."

Sarah blinked at the woman stupid before lowering herself into an awkward bow.

The woman snorted. "I suppose that will do. Stand up, girl and let me get a look at you."

Sarah stood up and just looked at the floor, still not entirely sure what to make of the Queen. As far as she knew, Jareth wasn't married. If he was then—

_Oh, dear heavens, I'm the other woman._ Sarah's green eyes went wide at the thought, but then she clenched her jaw in anger. She would beat Jareth senseless for trying to cheat on his wife with her.

The Queen circled around her a few times like a vulture circling its prey. She took Sarah's chin in her long, pale fingers and roughly jerked her head from side to side. "You're nothing out of the common way. It is a wonder what he sees in you."

For years, the prettier girls had made fun of her. She'd had no choice but to take it then; she didn't have to do it now. Feeling wounded, Sarah stuck her chin up defiantly and squared her shoulders. "Hey now, it's not my fault if you can't keep your man."

The Queen's red eyebrows rose high above her large, blue eyes. The smirk diminished. The Queen did look truly frightening, but Sarah held her stance. She would not be intimidated, especially since she wasn't reciprocating Jareth's feelings. If anything, the queen should have been worried about the doting, female High General.

"Is that so?" She asked, her voice icy. "Well then," the Queen started to say something else, but Demetrius jumped to his feet and grabbed Sarah's arm, jerking the young woman back.

"Please forgive her Highness; she is not accustomed to our ways," he said, bowing his head slightly and holding Sarah back.

Sarah tried to get around Demetrius's tan arm. "You don't have to stand up for me, Demetrius. I'm not afraid of some over made up woman who thinks she's better than me."

"I would stop yourself while you still have a life, Sarah," a foreign voice called from the other side of the clearing. It was a woman's voice, but it was low and flat. Everyone turned around to stare at a tall, muscular woman as she walked into the space. She bowed curtly at the waist and crossed her right arm over her chest in a sign of obeisance to the Queen. "My queen," she said. She stood and looked at the woman and then to Sarah. The High General narrowed her eyes at the girl, but then returned her attention to the Queen.

"Ah, High General, I have come to see my renegade son."

"Yes, your majesty, I thought as much." The High General bowed her head. "I came to make you aware that he is conference with your husband presently."

The queen made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, my droll husband." She heaved a sigh. "Where would Underground be without Od?" She asked rhetorically.

"Far less lost than it would be without you, Queen Mother."

The Queen snorted. "You have always known which hand feeds you best, Ivory. A lesson which some would do well to learn." She turned around and looked at Sarah with an arched eyebrow. She then tilted her head and smirked at the girl. "What have you say about my son's infatuation? What sort of girl is she?"

Ivory looked at Sarah with a calculating glare. "I have formed no opinion of her, Queen Mother. I have an army to keep in order." Her tone implied great displeasure with Sarah. The mortal girl looked down at her feet. She suddenly felt like Jareth's doting grated on the High General too much.

"Well, I dare say you shall soon form one. I rather think her impetuous nature and wild tongue will add a bit of spice to the drollness of our society. As such, I have decided to have a tea. She will be there as will my son. You shall notify him of this, High General."

While the High General's face showed annoyance, she held her voice steady. "I am at your leisure, Queen Mother," she said with a bow.

The Queen Mother turned to the High General. She pointed to her delicately. "You come also, Ivory. We cannot allow our new guest be the most hated person in the room." She smiled sweetly at the woman.

Ivory's face never changed, though she had obviously been insulted. "As you wish."

"Good," she said. "Now go warn my pathetic husband that I am coming to see my son." She waved the High General away. The High General bowed and marched out of the clearing. The Queen Mother turned to Sarah. "I shall see you at my tea service, little mortal." Despite how sweet the Queen sounded, her smile looked more like a vicious wolf. With a disconcerting laugh, the Queen Mother disappeared.

Sarah shuddered at the woman's laugh and stared at the place where the Queen Mother had been. She blinked a few times before she turned to Demetrius, confused. "Wait, what just happened here?"

"You just insulted the Queen Mother by telling her that the crowned Prince was her husband, and the two of you committing infidelity with him." Demetrius responded with a raised eyebrow.

"So you mean that wasn't Jareth's—Oh." Sarah put her hands on her face. "I cannot believe I just did that," she said, her face turning a bright red. Demetrius laughed at her.

"Don't worry, Lady Sarah," he said. "The Queen mother seemed to be amused by you; besides the High General rescued you."

Ivory swept into the room where Jareth and Od were speaking. They stared at her blankly as she bowed to them.

"Yes, High General," Od asked. He didn't look very pleased, and neither did Jareth.

"Your majesties," she said. "I would like to announce that the Queen Mother is here and is on her way to speak with the King."

Od raised an eyebrow. "What does that old bat want?"

"She wants to talk with her wayward son," Freya said as she waltzed into the room. "I just saw your human, Jareth."

Jareth sighed and put down the papers he'd been holding. He leaned back against his desk and crossed his arm, pinching the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand. "She is not my human, Mother. She is her own person." Jareth replied. "If you do not mind, Father and I were discussing what to do with the Elites now."

"Oh, hang the Elites," she said. "They're just a bunch of old fey who have nothing better to than meddle in everyone else's plan."

"It reminds me of someone in this room," Od said caustically. Freya glared at him.

"Hold your tongue old man," she snapped.

Od sucked in an angry breath. "Woman."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you can wait." She waved her husband off and walked over to Jareth. She looped one of her long, slender arms in her son's. "Well," she said. "If she's not your human, Jareth, she certainly is something else then. She has a spitfire temper, which I think will be very entertaining." Jareth was silent, dreading what that could possibly mean. Freya looked at Ivory, who stood near the door at attention. "Tell them my plans, High General," she said.

The High General looked at the male monarchs and sighed. "The Queen Mother is having a garden tea party. She wants his Highness, the Lady Sarah, and me to attend." Ivory bowed her head and stepped back to her near attention state. Jareth reguarded her for a moment, before turning to his mother.

Jareth straightened. "Mother," he said. "Sarah is nowhere near ready for us to take her into the public eye. She is still learning our ways."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "No better way to learn than full immersion. Besides, the High General will train her."

Ivory tensed slightly. Her blue eyes darted to Jareth as she gave her head a small vigorous shake.

Jareth sat back again and took his arm from his mother's grasp. He sighed. "Mother, Ivory has more important things to do than train Sarah." He glanced at Ivory who had relaxed as much as she could. He knew that allowing his High General, who thought that Sarah was a nuisance, train her would mean possible death for his love. "If you are determined, I will have a servant do it." Jareth said.

"I am determined," Freya said. "Good, then see to it that it does happen." She gathered up her long train and swept out of the room just as quickly as she had come in. The former Queen was always like a whirlwind. She usually left people dazed and confused about what had just happened to them.

"Sometimes I question my sanity when I married that woman." Od said as he went back to his conversation with Jareth.

Ivory excused herself quickly. She needed to get out of that room. The Queen Mother and King Father put her on edge. They had never liked her, and liked her even less when she rose through the ranks more quickly than any other elf had. She marched out of the room, trying to maintain full control of her emotions. She'd been a solid rock for so long, it would be a serious shame for everything to come crashing down now. She made her way out of the castle with no particular destination in mind. Her feet took her to the King's Garden.

The High General brushed one of her red bangs out of her face. It had fallen out of her tight braid a few times already, only serving to irritate her further. She'd been walking the garden for some time, trying to calm her nerves. It wasn't helping very much. Since there were many servants out tending their chores, she had to walk leisurely, rather than run at break-neck speeds, jumping over things and dodging branches. She thought much more clearly when she was doing something vital. The blood flow helped, and the exercise released emotions. She felt that she shouldn't really be emotional about things. She'd never really been emotional before, but then before—

She stopped, closed her eyes, and exhaled a small puff of air through her nose. She had to come to terms with the fact that her king was going to neglect his people for some little mortal child. Now it seemed the queen wanted to parade the mortal, hold her up to the society. Sarah had done nothing to deserve any of this praise, especially not from Jareth, but then—

Ivory quickly shook that thought away and kept walking, wearing a stony, glazed look on her face to hide any signs of inner turmoil from the help.

"You look tense," Jareth said. Ivory stopped in mid-stride and looked at Jareth. He'd suddenly appeared next to her, startling her slightly. She hated that habit of the fey. They did what they wanted and moved against the constraints of reality.

"I am sorry," she replied. "There is much to think on presently, Sire."

"You worry for Sarah's safety as well?" Jareth asked looking at his feet.

Ivory blinked at him a few times, as she tried to fathom how one person could absorb so fully. She knew that he absorbed much of her time, but much of her efforts were spent on the kingdom and less on him as a person. Schooling herself to keep from spouting off Chaldean insults, as she had done once before, Ivory decided to humor him. "I think she will do as well as can be expected of her."

"I think she will fare well; however, I do ask that you keep an eye on her. Sarah is delicate."

_Delicate like a rock_. Ivory thought. She sighed. She could get herself out of playing the mortal-sitter. Ivory knew her position in the fey world. She was not welcome there, and they all took great pleasure in deriding her.

"Sire," she looked at Jareth and saw him staring into the garden searching for Sarah. "Jareth," she said in a lower voice. He looked at her. "It would actually be better if I did not speak with her. I do not want to bring her down by association," Ivory said. "We all know the opinions of those attending towards me."

Jareth mulled over what Ivory said. "Yes, I suppose you are correct," he said. "I suppose I will have to ensure that she is well introduced there."

Despite what most would think of her, Ivory loved her hated position. She would not care for the friendship of any fey, save one. They were moody, mericurial beings who took joy in other's pain and discomfort. She would not let Sarah take that position from her. "She will need new clothes," Ivory said. "I do not think that she would be well received dressed as an Aboveground mortal."

Jareth smiled. "You are right; I shall have her clothes made immediately." He walked off to find a servant, leaving Ivory alone again.

_That sank like a rock_. She thought. Finally, having enough of walking, Ivory made her way to the sparring grounds. She would need to think of how to get Jareth's attention again. She'd had it for the past ten years after Sarah ran the Labyrinth, and now she wanted it back.

Sarah stood on a pedestal with her arms crossed. "I don't see why I have to—OW!" She yelled as the woman stabbed her with a pin. She glared at Demetrius, who stood by with an amused look.

"Sarah," he said. "Think of it this way. These people already do not care whether you live or die. You do not need to help them not like you."

"Ivory's going to be there. Can't they just not like her?" She asked.

He shook his head. "The displeasure of the fey is not something to be trifled with Sarah," he said. "They will torment you for their own amusement."

Sarah rolled her green eyes and just stared at herself in the three-way mirror. She had on what would be a long, flowing blue gown once it was finished. It swept a little low in the front for Sarah's tastes, but the seamstress would not deviate from the pattern.

Ever since Freya informed her about it, Sarah had no interest in going to the garden tea party thing. She did laugh at herself a little bit; when she was younger, she would have killed for the chance to attend the faery party. Now, after all those years of playing at being in a fairy tale, she was in one and didn't want to be. She wanted to wear her jeans and t-shirts. She looked at the line of cleavage starting to show. She couldn't help but feel that was for Jareth's benefit. Disgusted, Sarah pulled the plunging neckline up again, and for that, the seamstress stabbed her with another pin. Sarah jumped.

"Can you not hold still?" The woman demanded.

"Not when you're stabbing me all the time," she retorted. The woman just grunted in response.

As if knowing that he'd just been the object of her thoughts, Jareth walked in to the room. He stood in the doorway and smiled at her approvingly. "It is going to look very lovely, Sarah." Jareth said.

She looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Thanks," she replied, looking down. "I don't know what all the fuss is anyway. It's not like any of these people are going to like me."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but we do not want them to hate you either." He said, walking to stand in front of her.

Jareth, as always, seemed to have an aura of power about him. He had a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes looked extremely amused. Rather than his usual spiked look, Jareth had combed his hair back into a tamed ponytail. He leaned against the mirror with his arms crossed.

She suddenly felt very self-conscious. She crossed her arms as well, more in an effort to hide from the penetrating gaze of the king, than irritation. He laughed to himself. "Sarah, have you ever seen a lion kill its prey?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"That's what the women of the court are like. They will pick off anyone deemed weaker than they are. Your humanity makes you weak by default." He told her.

"Great, high school all over again." Sarah sighed and slouched a little bit. She bit her lip as she thought about the evil girl's she'd thought she'd left in the Above. The only difference this time was these girls had years to perfect their attitude. "The High General will be there, won't she?" Sarah asked. Jareth nodded. "Well, then they can hate on her, and not me, so I don't need to impress people I don't like."

"The High General may not be liked, Sarah," Jareth said. "However, she has become a common thing that they are accustomed too." He stepped up on the platform and took Sarah's hand. "You, however, are a new doll for them to play with. They will be more interested in you naturally."

Sarah wrinkled her nose and took her hand out of Jareth's. "I don't see why I have to go."

"The Queen Mother decreed it," Jareth said with a shrug.

"Do you always do what your mommy tells you?"

Jareth glowered at Sarah, silencing her immediately. She looked sheepishly at her feet and noticed that she still had on her tennis shoes. "I guess I'll have to get new shoes too."

Jareth nodded. "I am having some kid skin shoes made for you." He said.

"Great, I get to wear sheep guts on my feet."

People milled around Freya's garden in tightly packed groups. All of them whispered about the new human standing alone in the center. Women would look at Sarah and laugh behind their large fans. Men would leer at her and then turn to Jareth. At that moment, the Goblin King was standing in a group of men watching Sarah from a distance. He had tried to make introductions, but various acquaintances kept pulling him away until he was forced to leave her alone. He hadn't planned things to go that way, but he would have to see how she faired on her own. Besides, he'd told Ivory to step in if anything went awry.

Sarah held her drink in her hand as she stood by the food table. All of the flawless, statuesque women kept giving her looks and then laughing with one another. There was one other loner there, but she avoided eye contact. When they'd first walked into the room, Jareth had been trying to introduce her to some people, but someone else called him away. He'd never returned. The group of people he'd left her with, raised their eyebrows at her and then walked away.

After a few clumsy introductions, Sarah had stopped making friends. Apparently, she was embarrassing herself by not waiting to be introduced to people. Freya had been kind enough to tell her that much, before flitting away to talk with Odin. That was an unexpected twist. Jareth's family was a collection of the Nordic gods, who were fey that had gone to earth at some point. Granted, knowing that didn't help her feel any more at ease. She picked up a little cucumber sandwich and nibbled at it while scanning the crowd for Jareth. She saw the High General standing the corner watching the crowd disinterestedly.

Even if Sarah didn't know her very well, the High General was at least someone she was familiar with. Maybe the woman would make some introductions. Sarah worked her way along the hedge to find the High General.

The woman looked like a statue in the corner, the way she stood fully erect wearing some strange looking outfit. She wore a semi-billowy shirt underneath a corseted vest. Over that was a three quarter sleeve jacket that went to the floor and opened allowing the puff of the sleeve to come out. She had tight black pants and flat boots that covered up to her thighs. Over the jacket, a small rapier hung at her right side. The High General rarely took her right hand off the blade.

Sarah finally made it to her and stood there for a few minutes waiting for something to happen.

Ivory raised an eyebrow and looked at her without moving her face. "Yes," she asked.

"You mind if I stand here?"

"Yes."

Sarah wrinkled her forehead. "Are you always this nice?"

Ivory turned her head slightly. "I am the High General; I do not have to be nice," she said and went back to watching the people.

Sarah made a face.

"Besides, it is better that you are not seen speaking with me."

"Why?"

"Would you want to be associated with the most hated person in the room?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head. "I guess not."

"Exactly," Ivory said with a smirk. "If you desire companionship, I shall tell the king to make introductions." She walked away coldly, leaving Sarah to stand awkwardly in the corner of the garden.

Maybe Ivory wasn't the most hated person in the room, Sarah was. From the brief exchange, Sarah could tell the High General hated her along with everyone else. Sarah toyed with her teacup and then slumped down.

Ivory was only too glad to leave Sarah. She could only be civil for a few minutes, and in this high tension situation those minutes went faster. Always having a sense of where her king was, Ivory navigated to him quickly and approached Jareth from behind. He was speaking with Thor. The Norse god congratulated Jareth on attaining a mortal as pretty as Sarah. Ivory followed his gaze to look at the lonely little mortal girl standing in the corner. The Queen mother was right and Thor was lying; Sarah was nothing out of the common way.

"The Lady Sarah desires to make introductions," She whispered in Jareth's ear. He glanced over his shoulder at Ivory, then Jareth looked at Sarah, and nodded.

"If you will excuse me, Thor, I should take Lady Sarah around to greet some people. She does not know anyone here." Jareth bowed and walked away.

Thor looked at Ivory and then smirked. "So," he began. "High General, when do you plan to go back to that wasteland Chaldea?" He burst into boisterous laughter.

Ivory's schooled features stayed as they were. "Whenever the Labyrinth commands me to go," she said walking away. She had long learned to not let her temper get the better of her when the royals spoke their mind. She bowed and asked to be excused. She walked towards the entrance to get a better vantage point of the garden. The entrance was on a staircase that had a platform, extremely practical for watching Jareth. That was her occupation at these functions, otherwise she'd be on the other side of the walls with the lower fey and elves. The Royals were nothing if not elitist. She was at the base of the stairs when Loki stopped her.

"My lord," she said, bowing.

"High General, I was wondering if you would be here." He smiled at her. Loki always reminded Ivory of a snake. "What think you of the Queen Mother's little party?"

Ivory raised an eyebrow. "I have formed no opinion on the party," she said. It was a useful excuse to give. She was an observer, always content to watch them move across the floor like chess pieces.

He laughed. "Your king must be very wroth for you to be so politically correct."

"No," she replied. "The King is very well, especially since he was able to appease the Elites."

"Ah, kept them from taking his throne when he failed."

Ivory furrowed her brow. "Did the king not reply to your letter?" She asked. Loki shook his head. "I am very sorry, Master Loki." She replied. "The king was able to convince the mortal to come with him to the Underground."

Loki's entire demeanor changed. He stood fully erect and looked squinted at Ivory with a dark eyebrow arched. "Really?" He asked. Realizing that he'd changed, his face fumbled for a happy expression. "I am very glad for him then," Loki said.

Ivory bowed and excused herself. She could tell whatever Loki was feeling it did not match his words. She watched the dark haired fey from across the lawn. He was standing in a corner brooding. She sighed. Yet another thing to worry about.

TBC . . . .

All right, after being gone for a while, I figured I should update. I've actually had this done, but the person who "edits" for me doesn't have time for it, so I had to do it myself, but I didn't have time for it. Now, here it is. I hope edited well enough, but if you see any grammar errors, please let me know. I'll go back and review it. I forget, you as readers don't see the picture in my head, and I'm talented at going "two plus two equals swordfish." Also, I would like you all to critique my characterizations. Ivory's a bit of a hard character to grasp. She could go completely emotionless, but at the same time conflicted. Sarah—poor Sarah, I can't ever decide if I want her to be mature, or childish. Jareth, he's an entire different beastie all together. So, I'm asking for opinion, even flames. It doesn't really bother me when people flame, and sometimes they make a point, just lack finesse.

Lylabeth: I'm glad you approve of my use of faery fruit. Well, I can see the end chapter. I could probably write it now, but I have no clue if I want to go over the mountain or through the vale to get there. And yes, our dear Sarah will be staying the Underground for the time being. If there was ever a sequel, that's when she would go Above.

Notwritten: I'm glad I entertain you dear. I pretend, and hope no one notices that I'm really boring.

SingerGirl809: Yes, House did make an appearance. It was something from the original draft that I couldn't bear to part with.

Kaytori: I'm sorry I didn't add more gravity to the Didymus situation, even now, I could probably make her a little more distraught.

Anono: She is, poor thing, but she isn't the mushy type, besides he's all stupid and twiterpated over Sarah. And Sarah's just being her typical drama mama self.

Now, please leave a contribution in the little box. *Rattle rattle*


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